Note: this earphone was first released as KZ ZEX, later as KZ x CRN ZEX. They are all the same earphone.

I have no direct experience with KZ products. Most of all, as my 15 readers know very well, I’m never enticed about overhyped products in general. If something, hype works towards distancing me from something, not the other way around.

That being said, I’ve recently been sent a pair of privately owned KZ CRN with a request for an extra assessment in light of the known (and let me add: quite pointless) drama emerged on social platforms a few weeks ago, which I won’t bother you with the cloying details of here.

KZ CRN (a.k.a. KZ ZEX Pro) are still available for purchase on multiple Ali Express shops for prices around 30-35€

Here’re my findings.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle M12 / E1DA 9038D – stock white silicon tips – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

One can guess that KZ CRN presentation may have been originally intended as a U shape, although the design intention was evidently missed due to a bad job done someplace, revealing itself most of all on the treble segment.

With that said, and within the limitations and the issues I will say more about in a bit, the ensamble – once corrected – comes accross as not tonally bad at all, and this should definitely be underlined.

The timbre is what mainly “reveals” the product’s (corrupted) multidriver nature. Long story short, one can clearly hear timbre incoeherence between bass and mids+trebles, and most of all a major timbre mixup all over the highmids and presence trebles.

A suspect about the origin of the latter issue is the crossover setup being completely screwed, and instead of separating BA / MEST drivers’ frequency scopes it lets them overlap for a large area. In more vulgar words it’s as if I’m hearing “both” a BA and EMST timbre… aka as “a mess”.

Again mine is a guess. I don’t know what’s precisely going on inside KZ CRN really (and/or inside the specific sample I received, of course). What I do hear is that their tonal levels are more than decently calibrated accross the most part of the spectrum, while such good job is depleted by some evident cause screwing the overall experience. Such effect is totally obvious. I wonder how could developers/tuners approve a product like this, which type of customer did they think this would be liked by? Whatever…

Bass is fully extended and strongly elevated – sub bass more than mid bass. The (inexpensive) driver itself proves unable to deliver big wonders on the tech side so apart from a nice volume, and not overly sloppy transients, we are left orphans of organic note weight and most of all texture.

Mids are surely the best part of KZ CRN’s presentation. Quite organic, well rendered, organically calibrated. Nice. On the low side they suffer some timbre incoherence with the midbass but not an excessive one. No sibilance on the upper hand. Really commendable vocals for such a low price.

Trebles is where the main disaster happens. There’s first of all a major flaw at 8 Khz where a sharp peak keeps polluting the entire tonality, delivering unnatural metallic notes. As is, they are just unaudible to me, period. Technically, this can be aposteriori greatly mitigated by a sharp EQ intervention: a narrow negative bell by at least 5 / 6dB, or even a band stop filter if you wish, centered on exactly 8khz will bring me back into audible territory.

In addition to this, presence trebles are dramatically rolled off shortly above the aforementioned peak, from approximately 9-10Khz on. Again, a “substantial” high-shelf filter helps recupe the situation into a much better result.

As I already mentioned above, this situation on the trebles region makes me suspect a screwup at the crossover level, with the MEST on one hand inappropriately overlapping the BA, thereby potentially generating or exhalting the 8K issue, and on the other hand being excessively tamed thereby resulting “audible enough” to contribute with its timbre (also in negative, where mixed with the BA’s one), yet not enough to deliver enough air up above.

Hence the surgical intervention of a high-shelf above 9 / 9.5K, to bump the MEST up, but only above a certain frequency range, thereby adding air back without (overly) exciting the aforementioned BA/MEST interference.

While we’re talking corrections, a slight taming on midbass might also help making them a bit faster. You won’t get better texture from the driver there though.

I would consider at this point legitimate to wonder wether one should invest competence and resources on doing what the manufacturer wasn’t able or willing to do, and “fix” an unhearable 30€ product into a decent one, or just bin it. The answer is very personal I guess.

Technicalities

If EQ-corrected KZ CRN’s tonality can be called “good” not the same can be reported about their technicalities. I presume there’s not much to dig to understand why here: little money pay for short blankets, compromises do apply.

Soundstage is nicely extended, but one-dimensional. KZ CRN almost totally lacks space depth.

Instrument separation and layering are not bad, yet imaging is close to tragic: whenever more than 2 or 3 instruments are playing together macro dynamics fail quite rapidly and spatial positioning goes down the drain with it. There’s no fix.

Physicals

One very surprising aspect of KZ CRN is the incredibly ergonomic fit. They are seriously comfortable, wish many of my other much better sound quality (and higher priced) drivers were half of this.

Passive isolation is also not so bad. Can’t say much about the cable, it looks pretty solid in terms of construction.

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

Senfer DT6

An historical low cost (< 30€) tribrid designed around 1 DD ,1 BA and 1 Piezo driver.
Out of the box DT6 is tonally warm, with a significant midbass presence, very good low mids and trebles and tamed highmids. As is, it’s not bad at all. An optional EQ correction pushing the highmids up, adding +2dB to the entire treble line, and (for my taste at least) lowering the midbass by -2dB makes DT6 presentation close to spectacular when put in perspective to their negligible price.

Comparing DT6 vs KZ CRN “after the corrections”, KZ CRN delivers more neutrality and clarity, yet much less “substance” (note body & texture) behind that, while DT6 sounds warmer, more musical, more engaging. Timbre incoerence on DT6 is less than KZ CRN. Technicalities are monumentally better on DT6, unlike KZ CRN, offering near-holographic soundstage and very good imaging and separation.
DT6’s fit may be an issue though, and a serious one for some.

Final E1000

To me (and I reiterate that) the absolute best and therefore sole rational choice below 30€, E1000 carry a single DD driver, and masterful tuning which makes them extremely enjoyable already out of the box.
A perfectionist might want to apply some finetuning EQ to raise the too timid sub-bass (< 80/90hz), and help up the highmids and trebles with a modest bump up from 1.5/2K on, to my taste just that. Such EQ finetuning is even “more optional” than in DT6 case.

Comparing eq-corrected KZ CRN vs E1000, and taking timbre coherence off the table for obvious reasons (easy win for E1000 of course), E1000 first of all comes off better for stage drawing, and most of all imaging; detail retrieval is a give&take (much better E1000 down low, somewhat better CRN on mids/highmids). Timbre is clearer and tonality more neutral on KZ CRN, but their underlying note aridity is bad; I do prefer E1000’s warmish coloration on top of much more organic, credible notes accross the spectrum.

I find E1000’s bullet shape comfortable but that is subject to wide personal variations. E1000 has a fixed cable and this might irritate the senses of some phobic – I will never understand them frankly, not on a 30€ device really.

Considerations & conclusions

Simply put, and without needless sugarcoating, KZ CRN are a flawed project.

Out of the box they are close to unaudible to me. Well ok, you know, I’m an exacting (read: nasty) reviewer. Let’s tame this into saying they must be clearly addressed to very undemanding customers. Whatever.

Applying some aposteriori EQ the situation can be made dramatically less tragic. In a sense, this makes my general opinion even worse about this: even within all the logical limitations connected to the inexpensive parts which need to be involved on such a low cost finished product, the problem is clearly not in the hardware per se, but exclusively in the competence – its lack thereof really – of the people involved in the development and/or at least the final approval of this specific model. It’s been my first experience with a KZ product. I hope my second will be better, or I guess I’ll hardly find the time for a third.

With all that said, once severely corrected KZ CRN are more than audible, actually quite nice really – especially on the tonality side, while more limited on the technicalities front.

Disclaimer

A deep thank you to Simone Fil for the loan, and our always so rich opinion exchange on audio topics.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post KZ CRN ZEX Review (3) – Pointless Drama appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Instead of first impressions, we offer completely flavour-neutral optical treatments before following up with our exhaustive reviews of the products’ performances.

Current Photography

1. BQEYZ Autumn vs. BEQYZ Summer (Jürgen Kraus)
2. Hidizs MM2 (Jürgen Kraus)
3. IKKO OH2 vs. IKKO OH1S (Jürgen Kraus)

Vintage Photography (prior to March 2022)

1. AME Custom Argent Hybrid Electrostatic (Jürgen Kraus)
2. Anew X-One (Jürgen Kraus)
3. Blon BL-05 Beta (Jürgen Kraus)
4. Blon BL-05 Beta (Jürgen Kraus)
5. Blon BL-05 MKI & MKII (Jürgen Kraus)
6. BQEYZ Spring 1 (Jürgen Kraus)
7. BQEYZ Spring 2 (Durwood)
8. CCA CA16 (Durwood)
9. Drop + JVC HA-FXD1 (Jürgen Kraus)
10. Fidue A65/A66 (Jürgen Kraus)
11. FiiO FD1 (Jürgen Kraus)
12. FiiO FHs1 (Jürgen Kraus)
13. Hill Audio Altair • RA (Jürgen Kraus)
14. iBasso IT01 V2 (Jürgen Kraus)
15. Hilidac Atom Pro (Jürgen Kraus)
16. Ikko OH1 (Jürgen Kraus)
17. KBEAR Believe (Jürgen Kraus)
18. KBEAR Diamond (Jürgen Kraus)
19. KBEAR hi7 (Jürgen Kraus)
20. KBEAR KB04 (Jürgen Kraus)
21. KBEAR Lark (Jürgen Kraus)
22. Kinboofi MK4 (Jürgen Kraus)
23. KZ ASX (Jürgen Kraus)
24. KZ ZSN Pro (Slater)
25. Moondrop Crescent (Jürgen Kraus)
26. Moondrop Illumination (Jürgen Kraus)
27. Moondrop Kanas Pro Edition (Jürgen Kraus)
28. Moondrop SSP (Jürgen Kraus)
29. Moondrop SSR (Jürgen Kraus)
30. Moondrop Starfield (Jürgen Kraus)
31. NiceHCK Blocc 5N Litz UPOCC OCC Copper Earphone Cable
32. NiceHCK Litz 4N Pure Silver Earphone Cable (Jürgen Kraus)
33. NiceHCK NX7 (Jürgen Kraus)
34. NiceHCK NX7 Pro (Jürgen Kraus)
35. Queen of Audio Pink Lady (Jürgen Kraus)
36. Revonext QT5 (Slater)
37. SeeAudio Yume (Jürgen Kraus)
38. Senfer DT6 (Slater)
39. Sennheiser IE 300
40. Sennheiser IE 500 PRO
41. Shozy Form 1.1 and Shozy Form 1.4
42. Shozy Form 1.4 (Jürgen Kraus)
43. Shozy Rouge (Jürgen Kraus)
44. Simgot EM2 (Jürgen Kraus)
45. Simgot EN700 Pro (Slater)
46. Smabat ST-10 (Jürgen Kraus)
47. Tin Hifi T2 Plus (Jürgen Kraus)
48. Tin-Hifi T4 (Jürgen Kraus)
49. TRN-STM (Jürgen Kraus)
50. TRN V90 (Jürgen Kraus
51. TRN-VX (Jürgen Kraus)
52. Whizzer Kylin HE01 (Jürgen Kraus)

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Good build, comfortable, well fitting.
Very good technicalities for a single DD set (may not beat multi driver types at this price point though).
Refined, organic and smooth tonality.
Good timbre.
Good accessories.
Good price to performance ratio compared to other purported full beryllium DDs.
Takes massive EQ like a champ.
2 pin connector -> better lifespan than MMCX in general.

Cons:

High powered source needed as per the low sensitivity – sounds muddy, congested and smears in bass when not powered adequately. (***PLEASE CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE IEMS IF YOU ARE NOT INTENDING TO GET AN ADEQUATELY POWERED SOURCE WITH THE KBEAR BELIEVE***)
Average isolation.
Average soundstage width.
Bass not the fastest in decay/transients when underpowered (this improves with amping).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BEAR WITH ME, ISN’T IT BARELY BELIEVABLE THAT THE BELIEVE IS BRIMMING WITH BERYLLIUM?

The KBEAR BElieve is a purported full beryllium single DD set, priced so that one doesn’t need to sell our kidneys! It sports an organic, refined and smooth warm U shaped tuning, with very good technicalities (for a single DD). Timbre is good as per its single DD roots, but it has high power requirements due to the low sensitivity. When paired with lower powered sources, the bass is muddy, smears and is congested, so those that do not have optimal sources best look elsewhere. But once adequately amped, the magic starts and I daresay it can hit about 70% of the technical performance of the fabled DUNU LUNA, which is truly lunatical, no pun intended!

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver Unit: pure beryllium diaphragm dynamic driver (imported from Japan)
• Sensitivity: 98 dB/mW
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 20000Hz
• Impedance: 17 ohms
• Cable: 2 Pin 0.78mm
• Tested at $159 USD

BEAR WITH ME, ISN’T IT BARELY BELIEVABLE THAT THE BELIEVE IS BRIMMING WITH BERYLLIUM?

Please skip on to the next section if you don’t want to read about beryllium and its controversies.

Alliterations about bears aside, 2020 is truly the year of the beryllium driver. Beryllium for drivers may or may not be a marketing gimmick, but these beryllium sets supposedly take EQ very well and you can read more about beryllium in IEMs in this very informative article by coblogger KopiOKaya (https://www.audioreviews.org/beryllium-drivers-ko/). Indeed, a lot of CHIFI brands are riding on a beryllium made hypetrain, and there’s been lots of single DD beryllium coated/plated gear released this year like the Moondrop SSR/SSP, Fiio FD1/Jade Audio EA1 and Urbanfun YBF-ISS014 (assuming it is not the “noble metal” driver version and that the QC is not a fail), amongst other hybrid containing beryllium coated/plated sets too.

Marketing aside, my personal take, is that what is more important than driver type/driver materials/driver count, is the actual implementation of the material/driver and the actual tuning. Also, I think beryllium may be toxic to process, so we have to be eternally grateful to the workers who risk their lives to get these pieces of audio nirvana to us!

That also leads us to talk about the issue of price. The beryllium coated/plated sets discussed above are generally cheaper than a purported full beryllium driver. So let’s address the biggest elephant in the room: does the KBEAR BElieve truly have a full beryllium single DD at this relatively cheap price point of $159 USD? Before the KBEAR BElieve, probably the cheapest advertised full beryllium DD set would have been the Periodic Audio BE ($299 USD) which has equivocal reviews, and deeper down the beryllium rabbithole, you have more expensive luminaries like the SummitFI single DD beryllium DUNU LUNA ($1700 USD) and Final Audio A8000 ($2000 USD).

Skeptics will surely ask, “How can the same tech be possible for $159 USD?” “That’s bearly barely believable for the price!” Well I’m on the fence about this, but just 3 years back, I would have laughed at you if you told me a multi driver IEM could be gotten at $16 USD (Senfer DT6 with piezos), as a triple driver set from a western/japanese brand then would have minimally cost north of $150 – 200 USD. I’m not privy to the inner workings of CHIFI land, but with economies of scale and cheaper labour/assembly in CHIFI land (and perhaps less robust patents/licensing), I would say, “never say never”, I wouldn’t discount the possibility?

I know there’s been a big shakeup in the audio world recently when an esteemed member of Audioreviews Facebook (Delta Fyre) dissected a certain brand’s IEM shell and realized the driver wasn’t beryllium as advertised, so biggest respect to him for exposing this (literally), and it prompted a withdrawal of that product by the company. Delta Fyre for sure deserves a noble metal prize for services to CHIFI (no Urbanfun beryllium pun intended). So now in addition to graphs for IEMs, this year we also move on to dissecting drivers and doing x-rays of gear to see what’s inside (yes there are folks doing x-rays in the audio forums!)

A famous and well followed Youtube reviewer also likewise dissected the KBEAR BElieve’s shell, showing the driver looks at least metallic, but I don’t have the necessary tools/expertise to proof otherwise for my set. There’ll be skeptics and “believers” (no pun intended) of the KBEAR BElieve regarding this beryllium question. Some will say even if KBEAR sends the driver to a lab for testing, the report may be rigged, or even if they send it to our Facebook laymen brethren to dissect, it may be a planted set. Anyways, one can open the driver and show the world it looks like beryllium, but do non professionals have the necessary equipment (eg spectrometer) to show the type of metal and even the purity and coating amounts? So this will be a beryllium made can of worms that will be argued till the cows come home, so I guess we need to move on to how it actually sounds. However, let me state for the record that false advertising of a purported driver material/type is a big no go for me, even if the IEM sounds great.

FWIW, take it from me that the driver in the KBEAR BElieve takes to EQ like a champ (with minimal distortion), even with massive EQ, which is kind of a hallmark of other beryllium sets I’ve used, though as discussed, I can’t prove anything, cause maybe plated beryllium sets also can also take EQ very well. And as stated above, I do feel that what is more important than driver type/driver materials/driver count, is the actual implementation of the material/driver and the actual tuning. And I daresay when adequately amped, the KBEAR BElieve can hit about 70% of technical performance of the DUNU LUNA (which is lunatical [no pun intended], considering the LUNA costs 10 times more). So question about driver type aside, the price to performance ratio for the KBEAR BElieve is very good. I will do further comparisons with the DUNU LUNA and other similarly priced single DD types in the comparisons segment below, but let us continue with the review proper.

ACCESSORIES

In addition to the IEM, it comes with:

1) PVC leather pouch

2) 4 strands of 6N single crystal copper Litz – the stock cable is very well braided and thick, with no microphonics. It’s very good haptically and asthetically. Cable skeptics and believers (no pun intended) can have your own arguments whether aftermarket type cables will improve the sound, which is beyond the scope of this review.

3) Two types of stock silicone tips in various sizes – one is of softer consistency (black) than the other (grey). The KBEAR BElieve is extremely tip sensitive, using wide bore silicone tips on it drops the bass and using narrow bore ones boosts the bass quite markedly. Of course YMMV as we all have different ear anatomies, but do explore with eartips to do slight modifications in the sound to suit your preferences.

4) Foam tips (2 sizes)

Accessories are very nice, and are quite similar to the predecessor, the KBEAR Diamond. The cable however is different from the KBEAR Diamond, the one included here in the KBEAR BElieve seems to be a 4 strands 6N single crystal copper Litz cable rather than the SPC cable of the Diamond.

For the purposes of this review, I stuck to the stock greytips and the stock cable.

BUILD/COMFORT

The KBEAR BElieve’s shell is very well made, comfortable and well fitting. It is on the heavier side as it is made of metal, but I had no issues using it for long listening sessions. I didn’t find any driver flex, but YMMV as this may be partially related to the eartips we use and different ear anatomies.

I liked that it came with a 2 pin connector, as I’m not a fan of MMCX connectors due to potential longevity issues, especially with frequent cable swapping.

ISOLATION

Isolation on the KBEAR BElieve is average with the stock tips used, as per most vented single DD types.

DRIVABILITY/SOURCE

I tried running the KBEAR BElieve with a Khadas Tone Board -> Toppping L30, Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 amp, Shanling Q1 DAP, Ziku HD X9 DAP -> Fiio A3 amp, a low powered smartphone, Sabre HIFI DAC (ESS ES9280C PRO) and the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro.

So other than whether the KBEAR BElieve contains a full beryllium driver, let’s address the second biggest elephant in the room: the KBEAR BElieve is one power hungry IEM, I already suspected it from the store specs of a sensitivity of 98dB/mW (impedance: 17ohm). But on actual listening, this drove the point in that amping is mandatory. It sounds muddy and gooey on smartphones and lower powered dongles, with the bass smearing when underpowered. Sure you can drive it from a non LG smartphone or lower powered source at higher volumes. It’s not a matter of absolute volume, but amping tightens the bass, increases dynamics, microdetails and perhaps soundstage.

Personally, I think most 3.5 mm dongles can’t drive the BElieve optimally, maybe some extreme dongles like the 9038S may be able though. On high gain with the Topping L30, them the real potential is shown, with the sound opening up. The Final Audio E5000 was similarly another power hungry IEM in terms of raw amping needs, also sounded meh and muddy without amping, though the BElieve is not as power hungry as the Final E5000. The KBEAR BElieve is actually a tinge more power hungry than the TRI I3 (which has a planar)!

For the rest of this review, I used the Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 (high gain). I suspect a lot of folks who will be getting the KBEAR BElieve, may be using it from lower powered sources and are not gonna get the intended sound, and may walk away thinking it is a muddy set, similar to the Final Audio E5000 being muddy when underpowered. So be warned, it needs amping to scale to its real potential.

Since the KBEAR BElieve is on the warmer side, it doesn’t pair the best with warm amps/DAPs, as the bass may be a bit more woolly and muddy, so do consider neutral or brighter sources with the KBEAR BElieve.

Some folks will then ask, what is the point of pairing a more expensive source such as an amp/DAP with the KBEAR BElieve, doesn’t that add to the additional costs of the IEM? Well, for one, the KBEAR BElieve is a midfi IEM, and I guess folks that buy midfi stuff may probably own a higher end source or two and they will probably read up about the source requirements. And getting an amp/good DAP is probably a one time investment as we progress further down this rabbithole hobby. Sources may end up being the limiting factor in the audio chain sooner or later, and is a worthwhile investment I feel, more worthwhile then spending tons on cables for sure. Getting a good amp/DAP will also be future proofing as we can unlock other gear that have high requirements. I mean if it were a sub $20 set like the recent BLON BL-01 (which is aiming for a different market segment) and someone told me I need an amp to unlock the BL-01’s potential, I would ask them to fly a kite. But a lot of other IEMs such as the Final E series (Final E3000, Final E5000) and even the more expensive full beryllium Final A8000 are not the easiest to drive, and need amping to scale to their optimal sound.

One can also argue that IEMs are for their portability (compared to headphones), and that getting a desktop amp (or a powerful DAP) doesn’t make economic sense for a midfi IEM. Well that’s a valid point, and at the end of the day, if one doesn’t intend to invest in a powerful source, then I would advise to look elsewhere from the KBEAR BElieve, there’s lots of other options around the same price that don’t need amping. Horses for courses as they say, I apologize if I’m boring everyone here with this long discussion about source pairing, but I want to reinforce to everyone that the source will be the limiting factor and probably the biggest variable in getting optimal sound when it comes to the KBEAR BElieve. Do know make an informed decision: I don’t want to see people getting the KBEAR BElieve only to realize later that you don’t have a proper source pairing for it.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The KBEAR BElieve is a warm U shaped set, it sports an, organic, refined and smooth U shaped tuning, with very good technicalities. The upper mids do look emphasized on the graph, but on actual listening, with adequate amping, they are very smooth and non fatiguing, managing to balance a fine line between having forward upper mids without shoutiness. With boosting the volume a lot (Fletcher Munson curve) or on poorly recorded material, then there might be rare instances of shoutiness at the upper mids. This isn’t a set that has the typical CHIFI sawtooth upper mids, but goes for a more mature and refined tuning.

For a midfi single DD set, the KBEAR BElieve has very good details, instrument separation and clarity. Imaging is generally above average but may not beat some multi BA/hybrids at this midfi price bracket. Nevertheless, the KBEAR BElieve manges to keep up with very complex musical arrangements. Soundstage is not the widest but it is quite deep and tall in soundstage, especially when amped. Those that want very large soundstages (you may argue even on the verge of artificially large soundstages) better look elsewhere.

Note weight on the KBEAR BElieve is a tinge thinner than average. The timbre for acoustic instruments is very good, as per its single DD roots, but there might be some rare instances of a metallic tinge for violins (which I have heard in some other beryllium sets).

Bass:

The KBEAR BElieve has a midbass that is north of neutral but not at basshead levels. Subbass is of less quantity than midbass. With lower powered sources, some may find the midbass quantity overly thick and the midbass decay slow, but this improves with amping as discussed. Subbass extension is okay for a single DD, the subbass can give a visceral rumble when called for, but this is not a subbass focused IEM, nor a basshead IEM.

In terms of bass transients, it is not the fastest (especially when compared to other beryllium type DD bass), texturing is good but not class leading. Even when amped, the slower bass decay does damp the transients and resolution a bit. This adds a bit of warmth to the music, I like it, but I know some who are adverse to it. Dynamics and timbre in the bass are very good. When amped, there is almost no midbass bleed, which is quite surprising for the slower bass decay, so no worries about the bass impinging into the other frequencies.

If you want to boost the bass to basshead levels or tame the bass to something more neutralish, then please feel free to EQ to your heart’s content. As discussed, the KBEAR BElieve takes to EQ like a champ (with minimal distortion), even with massive EQ, which is kind of a hallmark of plated and full beryllium sets, so EQ lovers will have a field day with this set.

Mids:

Mids-wise, they are slightly recessed at the lower mids, but are quite natural and transparent nevertheless. Upper mids are boosted, but as discussed, the upper mids are very smooth and not shouty (when amped). Female vocals are slightly more forward than male vocals, vocals for both genders are very intelligible. I liked that the upper mids manages to balance a fine line between having forward upper mids without shoutiness. As per the Fletcher Munson Curve, it can on rare occasions be hot in the upper mids at high volumes or with poorly recorded material. This isn’t a set that has the typical CHIFI sawtooth upper mids, but goes for a more refined tuning.

Treble:

The lower treble of the KBEAR BElieve continues on from the safe upper mids tuning, and is non fatiguing. The higher treble does extend quite well and is not harsh for my treble sensitive tastes. I didn’t find any sibilance (unless it is already present in the recording). Details, clarity and resolution are captured very well in the treble regions and cymbals sound very natural (cymbals can sound splashy on other CHIFI types).

COMPARISONS

As per comparing apples to apples, I left out multi BA/hybrids and rarer driver types from the comparisons as they have their own strengths and weaknesses among the different transducer types. I apologize that I’m not able to audition or get hold of a loaner unit for the hypetrain NF Audio NM2+, I think a lot of folks are interested to see how it performs against the KBEAR BElieve (as both are single DDs around the same price). If i do get it one day, I’ll definitely update this review, but I’ll make do for now to compare some TOTL single DD types all the way to $100ish USD single DD types.

DUNU LUNA ($1700 USD)

Just to put it out there, the DUNU LUNA is my most favourite single DD set in terms of how it melds technicalities, timbre, tonality and musicality. The DUNU LUNA is usually discussed in the same breath with the other full beryllium single DD summitFI set, the Final Audio A8000, and I do think the Final Audio A8000 has better technical performance, though I found the Final Audio A8000 too bright/fatiguing for me due to the wealth of resolution and details and there’s a peak somewhere at the 5 – 6 kHz region, so it isn’t my cup of tea.

I know it is kind of lunatical (no pun intended) to compare the KBEAR BElieve ($159 USD) to the $1700 USD DUNU LUNA, but since they are both advertised to have full beryllium DDs, here we go:

The DUNU LUNA has better timbre and thicker note weight. The DUNU LUNA is more refined, has faster transients and has better technicalities/dynamics, but it costs 10 times more, so that’s kinda expected. If I were to give a ballpark figure, I think the KBEAR BElieve can hit around 70% of the DUNU LUNA’s technical performance (when amped). Despite the high price, the DUNU LUNA is also not perfect, it has a subbass/higher treble rolloff. The DUNU LUNA is easier to drive, but has worse isolation.

So between the 2, it depends if you wanna chase the last 30% sound for huge diminishing returns, or are happy with hitting 70% performance for 10% of the cost, but the only problem is I can’t unhear what I have heard (the 30% improvement) in the DUNU LUNA hahaha.

Final Audio A8000 ($2000 USD)

The Final Audio A8000 as discussed above is another summitFI set that has excellent technicalities and also is advertised to have a full beryllium single DD. I would say the Final Audio A8000 has the best resolution, transparency, transients and technicalities I’ve ever heard in a single DD set, though it needs amping as it is also not that easy to drive.

For sure the Final Audio A8000 has better technicalities than the KBEAR BElieve (in clarity, transients, resolution, details, imaging, soundstage), but I found the Final Audio A8000 too bright/fatiguing for me due to the wealth of resolution/details and there’s a peak somewhere at the 5 – 6 kHz region, though I’m treble sensitive. Ballpark, I would say the KBEAR BElieve can hit about 60ish% of the technical performance of the Final Audio A8000 but the latter costs 12 – 13 times more, so big diminishing returns once more as you go up the ladder. Likewise it is an unfair comparison at the different price point for these 2 sets, but I brought it out since they are both advertised to have full beryllium single DDs. Between the two, the tonality is rather different too, the Final Audio A8000 goes for a brighter and crisper tonality compared to the warmer and more analoguish KBEAR BElieve.

KBEAR Diamond ($79 USD)

The KBEAR Diamond is the predecessor of the KBEAR BElieve, they both look similar externally, but are of a different colours and driver types (DLC versus purported beryllium). The nozzle is also slightly shorter in the KBEAR BElieve compared to the KBEAR Diamond, I actually find the fit more secure in the KBEAR BElieve cause the longer nozzle seems to “push” the KBEAR Diamond out of my ears.

The KBEAR Diamond does scale with amping too, but is easier to drive than the KBEAR BElieve. The KBEAR Diamond has poorer technicalities, is more V shaped, and can get a bit hotter in the upper mids, with a more depressed lower mids region (which some found polarizing). KBEAR Diamond is more bassy (when same tips are used). I do believe, no pun intended, that the KBEAR BElieve is a true upgrade over its predecessor, and is worth the extra outlay assuming you have an optimal source.

TFZ No. 3 ($109 USD)

The TFZ No. 3 is a more V shaped single DD basshead set. The TFZ No.3 has more copious midbass and subbass quantities, but the bass quality is worse, in being not the most textured, with boominess and midbass bleed in spades. The TFZ No. 3 also has a more shouty upper mids at higher volumes (Fletcher Munson curve), and it also has worse timbre and technicalities than the KBEAR BElieve, with a quite compressed soundstage too.

The TFZ No. 3 would suit bassheads and would be very good for bass forward music genres, but is kind of a one trick pony. I think the KBEAR BElieve is the more refined pair between the two, and is smoother and has better technicalities, although the TFZ No. 3 is much easier to drive (in fact it has a higher sensitivity and can hiss like a snake with certain sources).

Toneking Ninetails ($125 USD)

The Toneking Ninetails is more versatile as it has 9 tuning options (from basshead to V shaped to neutralish), so it has more sonic signatures than the KBEAR BElieve. The Toneking Ninetails IEM was a cult classic with good reviews among owners, but a lot were hesitant to purchase it due to the unconventional looking design. The Ninetails is actually quite well fitting and comfortable once you know how to wear it, but the KBEAR BElieve is still more comfortable due to the more ergonomic and conventional profile.

The Toneking Ninetails is easier to drive but has weaker technicalities than the KBEAR BElieve. Timbre between the two is similarly good. The Toneking Ninetails is also semi open backed and hence has a better soundstage, though this double edge sword makes it poorer in isolation.

CONCLUSIONS

The KBEAR BElieve is a purported bearly barely believable full beryllium single DD set, priced so that one doesn’t need to sell our kidneys! It sports an organic, refined and smooth warm U shaped tuning, with very good technicalities (for a single DD). Timbre is good as per its single DD roots, but it has high power requirements due to the low sensitivity. It can be played from a lower powered source, but the bass is muddy, smears and is congested, so those that do not have optimal sources best look elsewhere.

The big question about whether you “believe” or do not believe that the KBEAR BElieve does contain full beryllium drivers can’t be answered conclusively here, but I’d say it has good value proposition compared to some other full beryllium luminaries like the DUNU LUNA, just that the requirement for a higher powered source may limit the potential pool of buyers or some folks may be underpowering the KBEAR BElieve with weaker sources and may walk away thinking this is a muddy set.

The KBEAR BElieve hits close to my preferred tuning target actually. I do recommend this set for those that want a warm and smooth organic tuning, to chill back and just enjoy the music (without much loss of technical performance). Diehard bassheads or those that want a very crisp and analytical signature may need to look elsewhere. Technical chops, as we discusssed, are very good for a midfi single DD, although some similarly priced multi BA/hybrid types may trump it in this department.

The KBEAR BElieve has quite a smooth and well balanced tonality, and it will be accompanying me on many late night chill jazz sessions after a long day of work!

MY VERDICT

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I would like to thank the KBEAR Official Store for providing this review unit. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001722682651.html

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The post KBEAR BElieve Review (2) – Bearly Believable? appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Pros:

Good price to performance ratio.
Comfortable, well fitting.
Above average isolation.
Good details, imaging and especially soundstage at this price bracket.
Deep subbass extension.

Cons:

Plasticky build.
Timbre artificial for certain acoustic instruments/vocals.
Tonality issues – Overly V shaped, with upper mids/lower treble occassionally getting hot when bass frequencies are not playing, with overly recessed lower mids. Bass may be too boomy for non bassheads.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The KBEAR KS2 is a budget bassy V shaped set with good technicalities for the price. It isn’t the best in timbre/tonality and has an overly recessed lower mids with occasionally hot upper mids. Adjust your expectations and don’t be expecting a tour de force for the price, but it excels at soundstage and does more things right than wrong. It would be an affordable daily beater set, or even a gaming and movie IEM in view of the great soundstage/imaging.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver: Hybrid 10mm composite diaphragm Dynamic Driver + Balanced Armature
• Interface: 2 Pin 0.78mm
• Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20kHZ
• Sensitivity: 106±3dB
• Impedance: 16Ω
• Tested at $23 USD

ACCESSORIES

In addition to the IEM, it comes with:

1) Stock cable – thin with no chin cinch. Recommended to swap if possible.

2) Silicone tips of various sizes.

BUILD/COMFORT

The KBEAR KS2 looks to have a similar shell to some KZs (like the ZST), and looks plasticky and cheap, but don’t judge a book by its cover, build wise, it is quite comfortable, light, well fitting, with above average isolation. I did not detect any driver flex.

DRIVABILITY

I tried the KBEAR KS2 with a humble Android smartphone, Shanling Q1 DAP, a ESS ES9280C PRO DAC, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, a Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 amp, and a TRN BT20 bluetooth device. The KS2 is quite sensitive, and hissing may be noted with some desktops/smartphones but the hiss generally disappears when music plays. Otherwise, one can mitigate the hiss with using an impedance matching device, amp/dac or an inline volume controller.

The KS2 is pretty drivable from lower powered sources like smartphones, but scales slightly better with amping.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The KBEAR KS2 is a bassy deep V shaped set with some brightness in the upper mids as above.

Technicalities are good for the $20ish USD price, with a big soundstage, good imaging, instrument separation and details. In fact, it has one of the best soundstages at the $20ish price tag (the other competitor in big soundstage at this pricetag would be the Senfer DT6, though the Senfer DT6 has worse isolation due to the semi open backed design). The KS2 would make quite a good gaming and movie IEM in view of the good soundstage and imaging, though the bass is quite boosted, so footsteps and gunshots might be a tad overemphasized for gaming, but I quite like the KS2 for movie watching due to the great subbass extension.

String timbre is okay considering it is a hybrid, but woodwinds and brass instruments sound very artificial, so not the best option if you listen to classical or jazz. Vocal timbre is a bit chalky but intelligible and clear, so also not the best option if you are a vocals connoisseur. The tonality of the KS2 is skewed towards the upper mids and bass frequencies, and non bassheads might find the bass quantities boomy, with the lower mids overly recessed, with some occasional hot upper mids.

Bass:

Subbass extends well for a DD bass, with good rumble and decay. Subbass seems to be a tad more emphasized than the midbass in terms of quantity, with the visceral grunt of the subbass rattling the jaw in some music tracks with amping. Indeed, bass quantities are one level shy of basshead levels. I’m a basshead and like the bass amounts but I think those that want a neutral bass might need to look elsewhere or do some bass mods, as it might be too boomy for them.

The KBEAR KS2 sounds quite good for bass forward music, eg EDM.
I didn’t find overt amounts of midbass bleed considering the KS2 has rather copious bass, unlike some other basshead sets eg TFZ No. 3.

Mids:

The KS2’s lower mids are quite recessed, certain songs sound thin/distant in lower mids. Guitars in particular aren’t that well rendered in the lower mids and some chunks of music are missing in the lower mids for pieces I’m familiar with. In fact, the big soundstage of the KS2 might be partially explained by the distant lower mids.

Even though the graphs appear quite boosted in the upper mids/lower treble for this set, I find the big bass quantities balances out the upper mids and the KS2 isn’t shouty when there are bass frequencies playing. The upper mids and lower treble do get harsh and fatiguing when there is female vocal predominant music or when the music is bass lite (i.e. no bass to balance the upper frequencies) or when saxophones, trumpets and flutes come out to play.

A warm source, or tape mods, or copper cables (if you aren’t a cable skeptic) or even EQ may help with the upper mids issue if you are sensitive to these areas, but I usually listen to bass heavy music (which as above balances the upper mids), so I enjoy the KBEAR KS2 with the stock configuration without any mods.

Treble:

Lower treble is discussed in the above point with the upper mids. The upper treble extends moderately well, and isn’t that fatiguing for me. Sibilance is mild, cymbals aren’t that splashy compared to budget KZs. I like the upper treble amounts, which balances details and clarity without being overly harsh.

COMPARISONS

Here are some comparisons of the KBEAR KS2 with other CHIFI gear in the similar price bracket ($20 – 30 USD):

KBEAR KB04 ($26 USD):

Ironically, the KBEAR KB04 from the same company is the KS2’s main competitor in having a similar driver config (1DD + 1 BA) and price in a V shaped tuning (see graph below).

KB04 is less V shaped as per the graphs below, with lesser bass and upper mids/lower treble. Note weight on the KB04 is slightly thinner, but the KB04 is more balanced tonally. The KB04 also has slightly better instrument timbre.

I find the KB04 to be faster in transients for complex portions of music, with a more accurate bass, but the KS2 trumps the KB04 in soundstage and imaging.

Both sets are tuned differently and bring separate benefits to the table. The KB04 has better build, timbre and tonality, but the KS2 is slightly cheaper, has better soundstage/imaging and better bass quantity (I’m a basshead and appreciate this aspect). Overall, for my music preferences, I’ll take timbre/tonality over technical performance for casual music listening, so the KB04 edges the KS2 for me.

BLON BL-03 ($24 USD):

In general, I try not to compare single DD sets to hybrids as they have their own inherent strengths and weaknesses between the different transducer types, so it is really comparing oranges to apples, but since a lot of folks own the BL-03 and use it as a yardstick, here goes:

The single DD BLON BL-03 has better tonality, and more accurate timbre for acoustic instruments, with a thicker note weight.
Upper mids are not as hot on the BLON BL-03.
The BLON BL-03’s bass is slower with more midbass bleed and it sometimes can’t keep up with complex bass riffs.
Fit and isolation are poorer in the BLON BL-03. In fact the infamous BLON BL-03 fit may require one to splurge a bit on aftermarket eartips or even cables, so the BL-03 outlay may be closer to $40 USD actually.
Technicalities are also poorer on BL-03, with a smaller soundstage on BL-03.

Hence, the BLON BL-03 is better for timbre/tonality and would better suit those that listen to music genres incorporating a lot of acoustic instruments, whereas the KS2 is better for technicalities and fits well OOTB; the KS2 would be better for more complex music or synthetic music.

Senfer DT6 ($18 USD):

The DT6 (1DD + 1BA + 1 Piezo) has worse timbre especially for acoustic instruments, but is more balanced and less V shaped than the KS2.

The DT6 needs amping for the treble regions to not sound dull (the piezos handling the treble need some juice), whereas amping is not really mandatory for the KS2.

KBEAR KS2 has better technicalities (imaging, clarity, details, instrument separation), and both have big soundstages, but the DT6 has penalties in isolation due to the semi open backed design.

KZ ZS10 Pro ($30 USD):

The ZS10 Pro (1DD + 4 BA) is likewise a V shaped set, and the ZS10 Pro also suffers from an occasionally harsh upper mids/lower treble, but I felt the lower mids aren’t as recessed in the ZS10 Pro.

The ZS10 Pro has better technicalities (except soundstage and imaging), but I found the timbre on both sets to be artificial for non-stringed acoustic instruments, with the KS2 being a worse offender in the timbre department.

The ZS10 Pro has more predominant midbass than subbass, unlike the KS2 which has subbass quantity > midbass. ZS10 Pro’s midbass is not as tight with some flabbiness and midbass bleed.

CONCLUSIONS:

The KBEAR KS2 is an entry level budget CHIFI set with good technical performance for the price. Unfortunately, it lacks a bit in the timbre/tonality department. I think the KS2 can suit most genres due to the consumer friendly V shaped tuning, except maybe genres that need good instrument timbre e.g. classical, jazz. The upper mids/lower treble can get hot occasionally when the bass isn’t playing, but pairing the KS2 with a warm source helps if you are sensitive to this area. Bass averse folks and lower mid lovers might also wanna give this set a miss.

So this brings us to the million dollar question: does one need another $25ish USD budget set like the KBEAR KS2 in the flood of budget CHIFI releases? Well, that’s pretty subjective and only one that you can answer yourself. Those stuck in the neverending CHIFI IEM rabbithole who own higher end gear will definitely have heard something more refined in sound quality. Do you have a drawer full of cheap CHIFI collecting cobwebs somewhere and does your spouse/significant other give you a deathstare when they see another budget CHIFI coming in the mail? Are you looking to climb up the CHIFI ladder in terms of price/quality, rather than staying in a vicious cycle buying budget sidegrades, which do add up to the costs of a midfi set eventually? Then probably not. But the KBEAR KS2 will suit avid pokemonesque “gotta catch them all” CHIFI collectors or someone new to the hobby and starting to sample budget gear to discover their ideal sound signature. It would also be an affordable daily beater set for the price for beginners, or even a gaming and movie IEM in view of the great soundstage, imaging and visceral subbass amounts.

Overall, I’m rating the KBEAR KS2 to be a pass, with context being the KS2’s selling price of a restaurant meal. It brings a big soundstage and good imaging to the budget CHIFI table. For experienced audiophiles, please temper your expectations and don’t be expecting a tour de force considering the asking price of $25ish USD (well, the BLON BL-03 is an amazing anomaly at the same price tag, but probably costs more after purchasing aftermarket tips/cables for the fit, whereas the Senfer DT6 is hyped to the moon but has an Achilles heel of poor timbre). The KBEAR KS2 excels at soundstage/imaging and does more things right than wrong.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the music!

MY VERDICT

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Here’s another review of the KBEAR KS2 earphone.

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank KBEAR for providing this review sample. It can be gotten here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001134070208.html

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You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post KBEAR KS2 Review (2) – Bear Necessities vs Barely Necessary? appeared first on Audio Reviews.

I was surprised at the $69 SRP–on the basis of sonic merit and (plastic) build I would have guessed these were a $20 phone, although <$20 phones like the KZ ZSN or Senfer DT6 are much better tuned, while <$50 models from BQEYZ and TRN leave these in the dust in terms of refinement, timbre and coherence. Thumbs/earlobes down.

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DISCLAIMER

These were loaned to me for my probably unwelcome opinion.

Tested at $69. Get them from HifiGo.

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About my measurements.

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Just in time for Christmas and 11/11 — and NOT even close to year end, I discovered this Christmas tree in a Brazilian hotel in the heat of the day. This gave me the idea to think about which earphones I really liked this year. And I passed this challenge on to my co-bloggers, who quickly supplied me with their choices. Below are our top-rated earphones – in no particular order. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND that we only had a small fraction of the Chi-Fi offerings in our hands. Once again, there appears to be little to no relationship between price and enjoyment. For details, please read our respective reviews (as long as they exist), our authors are listed in alphabetical order.

As to the popularity of our reviews with you, the reader: our top-viewed iems this year were (in this order): TRN V90, KZ ZSN Pro, Senfer DT6, Sony MH755, Blon BL-03, NiceHCK NX7, Pioneer CH3, Sennheiser IE40 PRO, and Sennheiser IE500 PRO. Thank you very much for your patronage and interest.

Biodegraded…Vancouver

Sony MH 755

The only pick for me this year is not really from ‘this year’, but it’s only recently that I became aware of it and heard it. The extremely cheap Sony MH755 has a low-bass boost (but not as much as it looks in the measurements) added to an otherwise neutral tonality; has natural timbre through most of the range and with most instruments; dynamics and transients that are high/fast enough yet still smooth enough to be unfatiguing; and good separation and imaging. 

I initially had issues with the fit, but on perservering found the stock tips to work fine. The asymmetric ‘J’ cable is a PITA, but a short cheap extender as pictured in JK’s review addresses the problem, or you can easily pull them apart and fit MMCX or 2-pin connectors (see e.g. here). For the price (many ebay sellers; I got mine here), buy several in case they break. Fakes reportedly abound; consult guides before and after buying.

Durwood…Chicago

Sony MH755 ~$6-9 + recable – K.I.S.S. design with excellent example of a Harman tuning on the cheap. I wonder if I had found this first, do I need CNT, DLC, Tesla, Graphene, cryogentic frozen crystals? Easy to fix the bass level if too much during the re-cable.

BLON BL03 ~$25-30 –This IEM is a jack of all trades, does not specialize in any one thing, ok maybe whack. It’s a sleeper that I  sleep with.

KZ ZS7 ~ $35 – Just a fun signature that is not fatiguing, excellent bass response, slightly recessed midrange but forward enough it is not lost which gives it a wider soundstage. Subdued yet extend treble that does not offend, except for those that like a really rolled off treble. It stops short of fake airiness.

TRN V90 ~$33-36 – Boosted bass should satisfy a basshead, but not the biggest bass I have heard. Everything else is just a wonderfully done V signature in a comfortable package that does not look too flashy. This is a no brainer if you like to bring the fun. If it was between the ZS7 and the V90, I have room for both.

BQEYZ Spring 1 ~$120-140, the naturalness of the midrange, wide soundstage and the micro-details it presents are an upgrade to the typical $50 budget area. The airiness (treble extension) makes this a recommendation from me. The only mark against it is the bass could be improved, but I have plenty of bassy sets.

Simgot EN700 pro masquerading as the “Bass” model $100-150. It shares similarities to the MH755 but a little edgier in the treble and bass is a touch warmer with better rumble.  If the MH755 and the EN700 bass/modified pro could have a baby, yes please. Loomis compares the Simgot EN700 and EM2 HERE.

Jürgen Kraus…Calgary

Blon BL-03: a single DD that was hyped to the hilt, but for the wrong reasons and therefore not much enough. The BL-03 excel by their incredible tonal balance and accuracy, and their natural dynamics. Every time I use them, they stun me. Downside: a bit bright and with poor accessories.

Drop JVC HA-FDX01: hailed as arguably the best single DD on the market, this labour of love is only available 665 times. Like the Blon BL-03 these sound very natural.

Sony MH755: this $7 earphone also reproduces music very naturally without any brightness added.

KBEAR Diamond: A very fast DLC-coated dynamic driver with a natural timbre that beats any budget multi BA in terms of resolution.

TRN V90: great balance, great haptic, great fit…a very pleasant experience on two intercontinental flights.

NiceHCK M6: Once you install the $5 third party filters (as described in my review), the M6 likely offer the cheapest taste of premium imo.

KopiOkaya…Singapore

BLON BL-03 – Cheap, fun tuning. For folks who cannot afford the more expensive Tanchjim Oxygen or Moondrop KXXS but still want that clean, punchy, organic sound.

KBEAR Diamond – KBEAR Diamond is indeed a gem among DD IEMs below US$100. This includes the renowned BLON BL-03, BLON Cardinal/Blue Jay, the hyped Tin Hifi T4 and FAAEAL Hibiscus. Heck! I will even throw in Moondrop Kanas Pro for that matter. How do I describe the sound of Diamond… Two words “smooth” and “authoritative”. Smooth – compare to BLON and KPE, Diamond is smoother overall. Be it treble or midrange. There is NOT A HINT of harshness. Authoritative – Bass digs deeper, slams harder with gusto and body, without sacrificing clarity and details. Compare to BLON, Diamond throws a bigger, wider, taller, more intimate soundstage. To put this into simpler context, it is as if you have upgraded your concert sitting from a $80 to $100 ticket. The stage is still in front, just more up-close with your favorite band or singer. Diamond brings the listener into the music, together with the artists. A definite upgrade to your music enjoyment.

TRN V90 – Hahaha… I shouldn’t have recommend this because I tuned them. But hey! It doesn’t harm doing self-promoting.

Venture Electronics (VE) BIE: One of the most under-rated IEM until recently… If you enjoy the BLON, you will enjoy the BIE. Natural timbre with gutsy low-end that doesn’t cloud the low-mids. Not the most detailed-sounding IEM, but hey you have other earphones to take care of that. Simply, pure fun and enjoyment.

Yinyoo Ash – I know, I know… I tuned these too, but hey, Ash is great if you just want to sit back, relax and enjoy your music. I prefer it over TRN IM2… Yes, both are siblings, with Ash having better treble extension. 

Loomis Johnson…Chicago

NiceHCK NX7—a  very polarizing piece, but they sure don’t sound like everything else.  Lotsa lotsa high end, but it’s the bass that’s really underrated here.  

Budget Division: Senfer UES/NiceHCK Bro—on 11/11, these will be $10, which is just plain stupid.

Slater…Cincinnati

TinAudio T2

If you can get a good fit with its fiddly shell design, this dynamic driver earphone is an incredible value. It is versatile, and can be worn up or down. Some find it a little light on sub bass, but covering the bass vent with a piece of 3M Micropore tape will provide a low end boost.

Blon BL-03

The budget BL-03 has been riding a hype train for the last few months, but I feel the hype is well deserved. A carbon-nanotube dynamic earphone, it was tuned by the same person responsible for the impressive Tanchjim Oxygen. It can also be worn up or down, but to do the latter you’ll need to use a 3rd party 2-pin cable with a straight end and no ear hooks.

Audiosense T800

This is in the mid-fi range ($300), so it may be out of some people’s budget. However, the price is worth every penny, and has been cited as an ‘end-game IEM’ by more than 1 individual (myself included). The T800 packs 8 Knowles BA drivers per side, a solid resin shell, user-replaceable Knowles tuning dampers, and a generous assortment of accessories. The T800’s secret is its vented BA woofer, which provides enough sub bass that will have you doing a double take wondering if the T800 secretly houses a dynamic driver.

Toneking NineTail

Don’t let its odd shell fool you. This is an excellent earphone. It’s ridiculously comfortable, and has front and rear tuning filters for a total of 9 possible tuning combinations. Just keep an eye on the filters though, as some have lost them by not screwing them on tight enough. If you’re looking for a step up from the typical >$50 budget earphones, the NineTail is it.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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Soundwise the DT6 are slightly bright and Harman-ish, with a slight tilt towards the midbass and smooth transition from mids to lows. Note texture is comparatively lean. As Otto notes, bass quality and quantity varies wildly with earshape and depth of insertion—these can sound boomy when deeply inserted or thin and bass-shy when good seal isn’t achieved. Optimally placed, bass has considerable rumble and pretty good definition, tho a tad syrupy, while mids are front-stage and articulate. Treble is extremely detailed and sparkly, if slightly metallic-sounding; drums have a lot of snap and transients are extremely fast. Soundstage isn’t particularly wide but has good height and depth and is quite holographic; there’s adequate space between instruments and imaging is very impressive.

You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

Many have opined that DT6’s tonality is somehow “off” and synthetic, and these definitely  lack the organic, true-to-source quality of peers like the BLON Bl-03, or Tin T2; Senfer’s own UES sounds comparatively vinyl-like.  I believe this is attributable to the unique qualities of the piezo driver, which presents more high-end information faster than our brains are accustomed to processing. I find the DT6 (like the similarly polarizing NX7) euphonic nonetheless—they present a revealing, uncongested rendering. I wish that fit wasn’t as fiddly and that they isolated better, but these are still a lot of phone for the $$. 

Disclaimer: I borrowed these from the Library of Durwood.

Our other Senfer DT6 review is here:

The post Senfer DT6 Review (2) – Another Wholly Gratuitous Second Opinion appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Poor accessories; needs tinkering with tips and cable to unleash its full potential; a bit bright; short nozzles.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Blon BL-03 is a neutral to slightly warm, marginally bright single dynamic driver earphone that excels by its tonal accuracy, natural dynamics, clarity, authentic soundstage, and spatial cues that gives you the feeling of sitting in the first row of a concert.

You find more photos of the Blon BL-03 here: https://www.audioreviews.org/blon-bl-03-photography/

INTRODUCTION

Blon stands for Believe, Let the music burn, Opportunity, Never give up. I don’t know anything about the company other than their tuner Zhuo Hulang also tuned the highly acclaimed Tanchjim Oxygen at 10 times the price, and that both models sport the same driver…but, I cannot verify this.

SPECIFICATIONS

Product Name: BLON BL-03  
Drive Unit: 10mm Carbon Diaphragm Dynamic Driver
Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 102 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 20-20000 Hz
Connector: 2 Pin 0.78MM 
Cable Length: 1.2 m ± 3 cm 
Interface: 3.5mm Gilded
Plug Type: L-shaped
Tested at: $28.49
Product Link: Wooeasy Earphones Store

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

There is not much in the rather huge box other than the earpieces, cable, three sets of eartips (S, M, L), and a storage bag made of jute…well, Woodstock was 50 years ago. The drop-shaped earpieces are made of kirsite (like the NiceHCK HCK EP-10), appear robust, and fit very well into my ears without sticking out…the Blon BL-03 may work well as sleep earphones, too. The earpieces are way ahead of stock cable and stock tips in terms of haptic and build. First, I threw out the cable, not because it sounded bad but because the memory wire strangled my ears and because it was so stiff (I replaced it with a $7 cheapo I had purchased in my earlier youth). No regret here as the stock cable was not the fanciest anyway. Next, I dumped the totally useless eartips which were way too flabby to achieve a seal with.

After a lengthy and unenjoyable period of tip rolling, I finally arrived at the solution: only the “inverted” Starline tips worked for me (the DIY process is described HERE). I also had to passively extend the nozzles by cutting out a ring from the inner tube of an old eartip (see photo). The SpinFit CP145 and some similarly shaped eartips that came with the iBasso IT01 generated too thin a sound as their canopies were not wide enough in combination with these particular earpieces. Results may vary for you, as everybody’s ear canals are different.

Comfort is good and isolation depends on the eartips, but I never got fantastic results. As so often, I used low-impedance sources (iPhone 5S with and without AudioQuest dragonfly dac/amp) and the Shanling M0 dap. The Blog BL-03 has huge advantage over the likes of the Drop + JVC HA-FDX1 or the Moondrop Kanas Pro because of their small, light shells, that don’t stick out of the ear.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

JK’s tonal preference and testing practice

The Blon BL-03 is neutral with a tendency towards bright that excels by its clarity, good speed, tonal accuracy and homogeneity/balance. The sound details depends a lot on eartips used so that results may vary between listeners. Hence, please also look at the other quality reviews out there.

The Blon BL-03 has a rather subtle, balanced sound signature with my setup and for my ears with a tendency to a forward upper midrange, which gives it a margially brightish flavour….it is certainly a far cry from the previous generations of V-shaped single DDs. Nothing punches (too much) from the low end or pierces at the high end. It is a polite and refined earphone all around. The Blon BL-03 is primarily an earphone for “audiophiles” imo and only secondary for rockers and dance music fans as its strength lies in the authenticity of sonic reproduction. It largely lacks perfume: the bass is rather natural in quality and quantity…and not substantially boosted to prefer certain musical genres with a hard beat. Fitting to the low end, the dynamics are rather natural, too. Further, the stage is quite authentic (wider than deep, including a good height), and the spatial cues is good, too, so that you really think you are in the first row of a concert.

With the tips used, the bass is well extended and has the aforementioned decent but not unnaturally strong punch, it is well textured and adds subtle warmth to the image. It can be a bit slow at times but is never thick. A subtle sub-bass rumble is pleasant on my ears. Overall, bass is tastefully dosed. The midrange is clean and clear, organic, energetic, and maybe a bit on the bright side because of a lift in the upper midrange. It has good air but not as much density as the more expensive Drop + JVC HA-FDX1. There is no congestion anywhere, including the upper midrange. Treble is very well extended, well resolving, and never strident (but not smooth either). Cymbals are surprisingly realistic sounding as transients are surprisingly natural. Stage is rather wide and high with enough depth. Resolution and instrument placement on stage are almost incredible for a budget earphone. 3-D impression is very good. And then there is the timbre, which is absolutely spot on. No budget hybrid can keep up with the Blon BL-03, although the TRN V90 gives it a good try.

Condensing all these observations, the Blon BL-03 cater particularly to fans of classical music, folk, and jazz. I don’t usually give music examples (as most people don’t have access to them) but have a look at the recent John Williams re-recordings by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A very fluid listening experience.

COMPARISONS

The fantastic Drop + JVC HA-FDX1 ($250/280) have more note weight and depth, and they are ultimately more substantial sounding…but not by much. A/Bing them with the Blon BL-03 still makes the Blons a great, enjoyful listen. The Blons are brighter trough more boost in the upper midrange and have more recessed vocals. The darker iBasso IT01 ($100) have more sub-bass but sound somewhat loose in comparison, and the thicker sounding Moondrop Crescent ($30; discontinued) are behind in terms of composition and definition. The Blon BL-03 are also more refined and more organic sounding than the astonishingly good Senfer DT6 ($20). I have to point out that all of the above earphones are quite enjoyable. The Sennheiser IE 500 PRO ($600) have a tighter bass than the Blon BL-03 but they fail by their missing upper midrange, which makes their sound muffled and muted. The Blon BL-03 are actually better in terms of air and soundstage than those premiums.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Out of the box, this earphone was a cinderella. Once you get the Blon BL-03 going, they are an absolutely superb earphone that is unparalleled in its class in terms of tonal balance and accuracy, and resolution. It is good enough for serious listening at home, and the flat earpieces make it a good bedphone, too. I favour the Blon BL-03 over much more expensive earphones, simply because of its tonal accuracy, balance, and natural dynamics.

Keep on listening!

You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

DISCLAIMER

The Blon BL-03 were supplied unsolicited by Wooeasy Earphones Store. I thank them very much.

Our generic standard disclaimer

About our measurements

BLON BL-03 Review II — Another (Unsolicited) Opinion

The post Blon BL-03 Review (1) – Love Is Like Oxygen appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Pros — Good depth and dynamics; relatively coherent image; small earpieces; responds well to micropore modding.

Cons — Too bright/fatiguing for some; thin mids and narrow stage; mismatched accessories; faces strong in-house competition.

This earphone has already been reviewed on this blog by Loomis Johnson HERE. You find some photos of the NiceHCK NX7 HERE.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The NiceHCK NX7 is a relatively bright and relatively coherent sounding seven-driver earphone that can be neutral analytical to warm analytical (depending on bass magnitude and accessories used). Much of the bright, fatiguing element can be removed with micropore tape to arrive at a more homogenous, pleasant, and still well resolving image.

INTRODUCTION

NiceHCK is the in-house brand of the Chinese seller of the same name. Their models are typically reasonably priced and presumably produced by different manufacturers — and they are mainly hits, but sometimes misses. I had the pleasure of reviewing eight of them and am particularly fond of their NiceHCK BRO [review] and even more so of the NiceHCK M6 [review]. The NiceHCK NX7 is a budget-priced 7-driver earphone that features a piezo tweeter, similar to the recent NiceHCK N3 [review] and the Senfer DT6 [review]. The NiceHCK NX7 have been compared — with caution — to the $1500 Campfire Solaris, which created yet another hype. Let’s see whether this hype is justified.

SPECIFICATIONS

Product Name: NICEHCK NX7 In-Ear Earphone
Driver unit: 4BA+2DD (Dual Carbon Nanotube Dynamic Driver) + Piezoelectric Ceramics Driver, Hybrid 7 Units per Side
Impedance: 55 Ω
Sensitivity: 108 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 20 – 25000 Hz
Plug Type: 3.5mm, L-shaped
Cable Length: 1.2m ± 3cm
Cable Connector: 0.78 mm 2 pin
Colours: cyan, black
Remote with Mic: optional
Tested at $75
Product Link: Shenzen HCKexin Electronic Technology Co.

PHYSICAL THINGS

The box and its content create a somewhat lean unboxing experience (for those who thrive on it), but it is excusable at this price. Gone are the days of the sturdy NiceHCK case, now replaced with a bag. OK, keeps the package lighter for overseas shipping. You recognize two sets of eartips (S, M, L) and a 2-pin cable. The earpieces are identical in shape to the KZ ZSN PRO [Slater’s review], both are made of resin with a metal faceplate screwed on. The cable design is also reminiscent of the cables that come with KZ models. The NiceHCK NX7 looks like a KZ earphone, it smells like a KZ earphone, and it has some KZ sound characteristics (“thin, recessed but overpixelated mids”) — I wonder who has manufactured it for NiceHCK. Build of earpieces and cable is good but not fancy. Comfort and fit are therefore also the same as with the KZ ZSN PRO. The earphone designer is thanked for accommodating all 7 drivers in such a small shell. Isolation is soso depending on the eartips used, but never fantastic.

The included eartips have been a standard staple with recent NiceHCK products independent of whether they harmonize with the sound or not. The NX7’s product page explicitly recommends premium eartips and I am at a loss why an earphone right out of the box should not work perfectly well. The product page further states that the NiceHCK NX7 have a relatively high impedance of 55 Ω and should be played with a dedicated dap (and not with a phone). I therefore fiddled with eartips and equipment. Basically, the NX7 were driven fine by my iphone SE, but better with the FiiO E12 Montblanc amp and/or the AudioQuest Dragonfly dac/amp attached. All sources are low impedance.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES (OOTB)

JK’s tonal preference and testing practice

Out of the box, the NiceHCK is a bright, analytical earphone with a strongly boosted, speedy upper end. Treble is obviously well extended (“piezo”) and while clear, it is not necessarily smooth up there. Bass quantity varies with tips selected from unobtrusive with wide-bores to borderline boomy with narrow-bores. I don’t find the bass particularly well textured, but it is nice and punchy, well dosed and never overbearing. Extension is good and control is fine. The bass is one of the NX7’s strong points. The lower midrange (vocals department) is too recessed for my taste (and in this price class) and one may expect a bit more “sound” out of SEVEN drivers — but this is a general “disease” of many budget Chifi earphones. The recession is evident in some tracks but not so important in others…hence the contrasting opinions on the mids. The classic Chifi peak between 2 and 4 kHZ (the most sensitive region for the human ear) overpixelates the vocals department and makes the voices somewhat sharp. Treble is simply a bit too much, too extended, and as a result too fatiguing for many…but this is (to some extent) taste dependent. Sometimes it doesn’t matter to my listening sensation, at other times it does, depending on my mood.

When looking at the complete picture, that is the whole frequency spectrum simultaneously, the NiceHCK NX7 sounds somewhat cohesive and refined, and mimics more expensive models. As so often, the devil is in the detail.

Eartips: I tried different tips and settled with the wide-bore Tennmak Whirlwind: they keep the bass out of the boomy zone but don’t quite help taming the treble. Comply foam tips as recommended by Loomis Johnson in his review focused the bass but also sharpened the midrange to overpixelate the image for my ears.

As to technicalities: Speed generally increases from the low-end to the top. The stage is rather narrow at varying degrees (depending on tips/bass) and may come across as congested. Depth is remarkably good, though. Detail resolution was said by others to be outstanding for this price category but I am not sure whether much of it is rather perceived than true and introduced by that 13 kHz peak. Nothing wrong with it but also not out of the ordinary in my opinion (especially when compared to the similarly priced NiceHCK M6…see below). Speech intelligibility is average.

Break-in: I aged/broke in/burnt the NiceHCK NX7 in for 70 hours (20 hours above the recommended period) and didn’t notice any changes. The treble was certainly not tamed down to a point where I could hear a difference.

That upper treble peak may be responsible for some tizzy cymbals and a fake resolution. The upper-end transients are simply too fast for a natural sound reproduction: the cymbals decay too fast, don’t have shimmer, and sound as if hit with a hammer rather than a drumstick. Upper violin and wind notes are overly sharp, squeezed and somewhat artificial. The timbre at the upper end is rather metallic.

Cables: I played with different cables priced at $7 to $10: two silver coated copper, one gold (!) coated copper, a “Frankenstein” cable (that was included with the KZ ZS v1) and the stock cable: no sonic differences found. Should I have missed them, these difference are so small that a cable may not be the upgrade solution but rather a more expensive earphone.

MODDING 101: SMOOTHENING THE TREBLE

There are easy, reversible standard methods for removing/smoothening unwanted treble peaks between 5 kHz and 15 kHz, which are described in detail on our blog HERE. You simply tape off 80-90% of the nozzle with micropore tape. It may take a bit of tinkering to get the treble that is right for you. Note: you may want to use wide-bore tips after being done as the removal of treble will automatically increase the perceived bass magnitude (the bass will have not changed but our ears hear the frequency spectrum in context…and less treble will mean a boosted perceived bass). Once this has worked for you you may wonder why NiceHCK had added a piezo tweeter as a seventh driver to the NX7, the effect of which we attempted to neutralize in this step. Mildly obscene, don’t you think? If you need to know more about basic reversible modding, we offer a number of articles HERE.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES (MODDED)

The micropore mod generates a surprising result: instead of substantially trimming that 13 kHz peak it more so reduces the upper midrange and lower treble (no frequency below 5 kHz had been affected by this mod, previously). The red frequency response graph underlines the sonic changes: a darker sound with the upper midrange/treble fatigue largely removed, a more natural timbre, the upper transients slow down and decays have become more realistic. Top of the bass is getting a bit wooly (that is going towards boomy), which helps bring the vocals forward (hurrah!). And I finally can confirm the very good detail resolution of this earphone. The image, after having been liberated from its overpixelation, has become more homogenous. The stage has become deeper but also a bit narrower (“tuby”). In the end, the NiceHCK NX7 remains on the somewhat bright side nevertheless.

Please be aware that my modification is somewhat of an end member result and you can mix and match the ootb and modded sounds at your leisure. Measuring comes in handy to guide the modding by recording the differences in frequency response as well as channel matching.

Pragmatism vs. hokus pokus: the micropore mod at essentially zero cost caused an infinitely bigger sonic improvement than a cable change or the 70 hr break-in.

COMPARISONS

The in-house competitor NiceHCK M6 [review] is a late 2018 model that features six drivers (2 DDs and 4 BAs). It comes with exchangeable filters all of which produce an overly thick and boosted bass (it is probably identical with the more expensive BVSP DMG). Spending $5 on these third-party tuning filters not only fixed the bass issue but created a superb earphone that is superior over the NX7 in terms of soundstage (depth and width) and also in detail resolution but it still lacks in bass speed (which remains the M6’s Achilles heel). Due to the lack of boosted treble, its soundscape is much smoother. In fact, I prefer this earphone over the $599 Sennheiser IE 500 PRO [review]. Nevertheless does the NiceHCK NX7 offer a more dynamic low end and generally more pizzazz.

The $99 Sennheier IE 40 PRO [review] with their single dynamic driver also sound more homogeneous — and richer in the midrange, which once again raises the question whether it is beneficial to stuff large numbers of low-end drivers into a budget earphone. But the Sennheiser also has these tizzy cymbals stemming from an upper treble peak that is not for sensitive ears. Bass is better dosed in the NiceHCK NX7.

Dipping into the KZ arsenal (I have stopped following KZ over a year ago after steady disappointments of near-acceptable sounding earphones…I counted 20 in my drawer and got more disillusioned when they started procreating under different names). The last model I purchased were the AS10, that sit like big plums in my ears and unimpressed me with their plastic timbre. The NiceHCK NZ7 are much superior and way more balanced than these AS10s, or the shrills ZSN.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Is the NiceHCK NX7 really a $500 earphone as claimed in the discussion? Absolutely not. It is therefore likely also no true comparison to the Campfire Solaris either, although both share an almost identical frequency response. But these claims were great marketing ploys and the idea of a premium bargain created yet another (in the end) unjustified hype…and presumably good sales figures. Are the NiceHCK NX7 worth their $75 asking price? Well, you get a lot of technology for your money if you look at it from this angle. But you also acquire the downside that you need to alter the tuning and add third-party tips to get an acceptable sound quality. Mismatched accessories are a longstanding NiceHCK issue (cf. wrong NiceHCK M6 filters and EP35 cable with wrong impedance) and they should select their accessories more carefully. One criterium the NiceHCK NX7 has going for itself is the small shell size and the resulting good comfort and fit. Impressive that these housings host 7 drivers…in this respect the NiceHCK NX7 surely beat the Campfire Solaris.

On the other hand, the NiceHCK NX7 is the reasonably tastefully tuned and good sounding KZ earphone that never was. Getting it creates an opportunity to clear out your drawers from your numerous dust catching KZ multi-driver earphones…and put them to good use through a charity. The NX7 is the only one of this kind one may need…until perhaps next month when the new models are being rolled out.

As always, I recommend reading as many informed opinions about this earphone as possible. You can start right HERE on this blog with Loomis’. If you own the NiceHCK NX7, feel free to test our statements and leave a comment below. And if you want to look at some more photos, you also find them on our blog THERE. Thanks for clicking!

Keep on listening!

You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

DISCLAIMER

I thank Jim NiceHCK for the review unit. About our measurements.

The post NiceHCK NX7 Review (2) – Master Piezo? appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Pros — Great build; perfect timbre; cohesive sound.

Cons — Hard to drive; heavy earpieces.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Moondrop Crescent is a sturdily built, (Harman Target) neutral tuned single dynamic-driver earphone with a warm, full, homogeneous, organic sound that rivals its Kanas Pro sibling at 1/6 of the price. You find more photos of the Moondrop Crescent HERE.

INTRODUCTION

I took a lot of flak by fanboys recently for my review of the Moondrop Kanas Pro [HERE]…”fanboys” means people who already owned the product. My main criticism was an unbalanced tonality from a misfit between an overly boosted bass and a thin midrange…which does not contradict the review of our own Biodegraded [HERE]. But isn’t the basic idea of a review to critically assess the pros and cons of a product rather than feeding a confirmation bias? Doesn’t the attentive reader benefit from taking in as many informed opinions as possible? “Sunshine reviews” consisting merely of descriptions laced with interchangeable commonplaces and buying recommendations may help the manufacturer/distributor/seller (and the reviewers by keeping their gravy trains going) but they are not informative and therefore useless for the critical reader/potential buyer. Let’s see what we can do with the Moondrop Crescent, another earphone from Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model Number: Moondrop Crescent
Material: Brass
Driver: dynamic
Sensitivty: 98 dB
Impedance: 32 ohm
Frequency Response: 16-30000 Hz
Cable Length: 1.2m
Plug Type: straight
Color: Gold
Tested at: $29.99
Product Link: Miss Audio Store

PHYSICAL THINGS

Included are the earphone with the attached cable, felt storage bag, shirt clip, three pairs of silicone eartips, and the usual paperwork. Build quality is stellar. The rounded piston-shaped brassy metal earpieces are heavy, the cable is soft, rubbery, and a bit springy. Fit and comfort are what you expect from this shape (with a bit of weight added). Isolation depends on the tips used, the largest included ones worked well for me. Just like the Kanas Pro, the Crescents are hard to drive. They work with a phone but better with my Audioquest DragonFly amp/dac.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

JK’s tonal preference and testing practice

A word on the Harman Kardon neutral curve: I don’t consider it as neutral or even optimal. It is the idea of a single person, Sean Olive, it changes from time to time and is therefore not universally valid. But the curve is a useful reference marker.

The Crescents are warm and rich sounding earphones coming from their low end: the lower bass is slightly boosted (could be a bit less for my taste). Extension in the sub-bass is good but the low end could be more controlled and textured. OK, I have to remind myself, this is a $30 earphone. The whole midrange could be a bit thicker but remains warm (and not neutral as in the Kanas Pro). Male and female voices sound amazingly relaxed and natural but are also a bit back. The upper midrange remains calm, almost smooth, there is no annoying Chifi peak in the 2-4 kHz region. Extension towards the top end is good and without unwanted surprises, but the treble could resolve better (cymbals tend to smear). The timbre is spot on – exquisite – and that’s where the value is in the Crescents imo. Soundstage is of standard width (bassy tracks shrink it) but is reasonably deep and high in my perception. The other technicalities such as detail resolution are not of premium quality but quite acceptable. Considering the Crescents’ low price I may borrow the hollow standard phrase that they provide a refined and mature, non-fatiguing listen (as opposed to sounding tinny or plastic-like with weird treble peaks, not unheard of in this price category).

In comparison, the Senfer DT6 [review] have a less natural timbre but a more forward midrange and they are easier to drive. The Kanas Pro [review 1 | review 2] have a better resolution than the Crescents but they sound less homogeneous. Both earphones aim for the Harman target in their frequency responses. The Crescents are darker than the Kanas Pro, their bass fits better in the mix making for a more balanced tonality. The identical sounding Paiaudio DR2 [review] / Hill Audio Altair•RA [review] are much bassier resulting in a more pronounced V-shape.

VALUE

Yes! There are certainly $$$ earphones out there that don’t have the Crescents’ tonal accuracy.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Moondrop Crescent could be a poor man’s Campfire in terms of haptic and build (I have never listened to a Campfire). To me they sound like a premium earphone in need of a bit (but not much) of refinement. The Crescents are yet another example of a price/quality mismatch (relative to the diminished return earphones). I prefer them over the $180 Moondrop Kanas Pro, not because they are “better” but because they are more homogenous and more comfortable. And they cost much less. The Crescents are good, enjoyable earphones independent of price.

P.S. I am surprised that no hype has developed around the Moondrop Crescent but on the 6 times as expensive Kanas Pro. There are hardly any reviews of the Crescents to be found — they are obviously not pushed by the distributors. Could it be that there is more money in the higher-priced earphones?

Keep on listening!

Our rating scheme

DISCLAIMER

This pair of the Moondrop Crescent was provided by Miss Audio Store for my critical analysis. I thank them very much for that.

About our measurements

The post Moondrop Crescent Review – Brassed Off! appeared first on Audio Reviews.

The post When Nature Calls: The Senfer DT6 on the Rocks appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Big and heavy earpieces; timbre not for everybody; requires tip rolling…but hey, this earphone costs $20!

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Senfer DT6 is a technically competent 3-driver earphone with a dynamic driver (DD) for the low end, a balanced armature (BA) driver for the midrange, and a piezoelectric tweeter for the highs. It offers a refined, close-to-neutral sound with emphasis on a quality midrange at a ridiculously low price.

For more photos see Slater’s Audio Porn “Senfer DT6 on the Rocks”!

INTRODUCTION

Senfer is a Chinese brand known for earphones with a bright sound signature. I have owned their $20 UEs model for a couple of years, which is not bright, and it has a resolution that co-blogger Loomis Johnson and I compared to the $399 UE900s.

Piezoelectric drivers for the treble are the latest offerings in the budget segment. We reviewed one of them, the NiceHCK N3, which did not impress most reviewers and us either. I grudgingly was talked into reviewing these DT6 — and must admit that I never looked back.

SPECIFICATIONS

Product Name: SENFER DT6 in ear metal earphone
Brand: SENFER
Model: DT6
Earphone Type: In-ear
Impedance: 32 Ω
Earphone Sensitivity: 110 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 5-40000 Hz
Interface: 3.5mm Gilded
Plug Type: straight
Cable Length: 1.2 m ± 3 cm
Connector: MMCX Interface
Microphone/Remote: Yes
Driver unit: 1BA + 1DD + Ceramic Piezoelectric hybrid 3 driver unit
Price (list): $37.49 (at the time of the review)
Your Price: $19 [instructions]
Purchase Link: MissAudio Store

IN THE BOX…

You find the earpieces, cable with MMCX connectors, shirt clip, and 4 pairs of eartips. NOTE: the braided cable that came with my unit is fancier than the cable I have seen on earlier pictures. It is braided, contains a three-button remote, and has a straight TRRS plug.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, HAPTIC, AND BUILD QUALITY

The earpieces are made of metal, they are big and heavy. The nozzles are relatively short and angled. Build is good but the shells look a bit rudimentary, reminiscent of very early Knowledge Zenith models. The braided cable is just fine.

ERGONOMICS, COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

The combination of these big and heavy metal shells and the angled nozzles required a bit of fiddling to get the right fit. I applied the technique suggested by Etymotic [video]: insert into ear canal and rotate by 90 degrees. Once they are in, they are comfortable, especially since the wire is worn down, but be aware that the shells stick quite a bit out of your ears. Isolation is soso, depending on your ear shape and the tips used, but it is in no case fantastic.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

I used the iPhone SE, which drove the DT6 with ease. The included tips were problematic as none of them was big enough to seals my ear canals. I settled with wide-bores that came with the NiceHCK M6 and the Yinyoo D2B4.

TONALITY

JK’s tonal preference and testing practice

The big picture: the Senfer DT6 offers a refined, brightish, quasi-neutral sound with no offensive humps or peaks in bass or treble.

The details: There is an almost linear response from the very low-end into the midrange. The bass is well extended down to 20 kHz and peaks at the sub-bass/lower bass transition. There is a small peak in the midrange just before 2 kHz, a dip at around 3 kHz, and another moderate peak at 4 kHz. Treble starts dropping off early at 4 kHz (one would expect at 6 kHz for neutral) but it is well extended between 10 and 15 kHz. This results in a neutral to brightish sound signature without any offensive parts.

I read some accounts of an overwhelming, boomy bass, which I initially also experienced. This shows that the frequency response measured in a coupler can be different from the human ear’s perception. The solution of this paradox lies in the different ear shapes: depending to what extent the front bass vent is covered upon insertion, bass quantity may differ substantially [explanation].

If you push the earpieces deep down and close the b assholes, the low end is indeed boomy and darkens the overall image. Wiggling the earpieces brings the bass back to normal and the sound close to neutral.

The bass is not the speediest or tighest, has a decent slam from its very low end and stays reasonably contained into the sub-bass. That extension is ok and there is some rumble down there. Overall, the bass adds warmth, bleeds somewhat into the midrange, and is not the DT6’s strongest side…

…no the strength is the midrange which is not hanging back as it is so often the case in this class. It is neutral, a bit on the cool side, resolves well and it “makes” the overall perception of the earphone being good. The rather odd combination of peaks and troughs between 2 and 4 kHz results in a decent vocals rendering

Treble is well resolving and never strident, with no sibilance, harshness and hardness. Sparkle and air are added by the broad 10-15 kHz peak.

Where the Senfer DT6 may be polarizing is its timbre (“tone colour”): it is certainly not organic and violins, acoustic guitars, saxophones, and pianos may sound sterile and metallic to some. This does not matter for rhythm guitars, sequencers, or synthesizers as they don’t have a pre-defined timbre.

The soundstage is quite impressive for such a cheapo: comparing it to the more organic sounding Brainwavz Delta [review here], the stage is bigger and closer, with a good sense of space and an astounding height and depth. You are in the first row with the DT6 whereas you are more in the bleachers with the Deltas (but the Deltas have their merits, too, with their natural sound and good bass foundation adding to the isolation on the daily commute).

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Senfer DT6 is a technically competent and mature sounding earphone independent of price. Even better that it costs only $20. Outstanding are its detailed quality midrange and its refined image without any major flaws. I could wear the DT6s for longer periods without any problems. The only concern could be the timbre that may not cater to purveyors of classical music and jazz. In summary, I’d say the DT is a real find out of the ordinary and at this price you can’t go wrong.

You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

DISCLAIMER

The review unit was offered to me by the exuberant people from the MissAudio Store. David Hahn from CHI-FIEAR had established the contact. I thank all of them. The review served the purpose of independently evaluating the technical and practical characteristics of the Senfer DT6 earphone.

Our generic standard disclaimer

About our measurements

Here our other review of the Senfer DT6:

The post Senfer DT6 Review (1) – Epic Little Wonder appeared first on Audio Reviews.

All Our Earphone-related Articles: here

ALL OUR REVIEWS (headphones, earphones, dacs/amps, daps, bluetooth, clean power & USB, microphones, cables/adapters, eartips, earpads, noise insulation): here

Models labelled with “*” are on our Wall of Excellence.

May additions: Gravastar Sirius Pro TWS, BQEYZ Autumn (2), 7Hz Timeless (3), Drop Grell TWS1X, Tripowin Leá, Mifo S TWS, Moondrop CHU (1), IKKO OH2.

April additions: Astrotec Vesna (1), RHA CL2, BQEYZ Autumn (1), KZ x CRN, 2*Hidizs MM2, KBEAR Aurora (3).

March additions: Whizzer Kylin HE03D, IKKO OH10, Tripowin X HBB Olina, LETSHUOER EJ07M, KBEAR Aurora (2), Whizzer BS1, NiceHCK EB2S, NiceHCK DB1, Tanchjim OLA.

Reviews in Alphabetical Order:

1. 7Hz Timeless (1) (Alberto Pittaluga)
2. 7Hz Timeless (2) (Durwood)
3. 7Hz Timeless (3) (Loomis Johnson)
4. Acoustic Effect TRY-01 (Baskingshark)
5. Akoustyx R-220 (Jürgen Kraus)
6. AME Custom Argent Hybrid Electrostatic (Jürgen Kraus)
7. Anew X-One (Jürgen Kraus)
8. Anker Soundcore Liberty Pro 2 (Loomis Johnson)
9. Astrotec Vesna (Jürgen Kraus)
10. Audbos/Tenzh P4 Pro (Loomis Johnson)
11. Audiosense DT200 (1) (Baskingshark)
12. Audiosense DT200 (2) (KopiOkaya)
13. Aune Jasper (1) (Loomis Johnson)
14. Aune Jasper (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
15. BCD X10 (Loomis Johnson)
16. Beats Powerbeats Pro TWS (Loomis Johnson)
17. Blon A8 Prometheus (1) (Loomis Johnson)
18. Blon A8 Prometheus (2) (Durwood)
19. Blon Bl-01 (1) (Baskingshark)
20. Blon BL-01 (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)
21. Blon BL-03* (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
22. Blon BL-03* (2) (Loomis Johnson)
23. Blon BL-05 (1) (Baskingshark)
24. BLON BL-05 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
25. Blon BL-05s (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
26. Blon BL-05s (2) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
27. Blon BL-05s (3) (Baskingshark)
28. Blon BL-Max (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
29. Blon Mini (Baskingshark)
30. Brainwavz Delta (Jürgen Kraus)
31. Brainwavz Koel (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
32. BQEYZ Autumn (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
33. BQEYZ Autumn (2) (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
34. BQEYZ KC2 (Jürgen Kraus)
35. BQEYZ Spring 1 (1) (Durwood)
36. BQEYZ Spring 1 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
37. BQEYZ Spring 1 (3) (Jürgen Kraus)
38. BQEYZ Spring 2 (1) (Durwood)
39. BQEYZ Spring 2 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
40. BQEYZ Summer (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
41. BQEYZ Summer (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)
42. Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 (Loomis Johnson)
43. Cambridge Audio SE1 (Loomis Johnson)
44. Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 (Alberto Pittaluga)
45. Campfire Audio Honeydew (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
46. Campfire Audio Satsuma (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
47. Cat Ear Mia (1) (Loomis Johnson)
48. Cat Ear Mia (2) (Durwood)
49. Cat Ear Mia (3) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
50. Cayin Fantasy (Jürgen Kraus)
51. CCA C10 (Slater)
52. CCA C10 (Loomis Johnson)
53. CCA C10 Pro (1) (Durwood)
54. CCA C10 Pro (2) (Baskinghark)
55. CCA CA16 (1) (Durwood)
56. CCA CA16 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
57. CCA CKX (Durwood)
58. CCA CX4 Wireless (Loomis Johnson)
59. CCZ Plume (Baskingshark)
60. Cozoy Hera C103 (Jürgen Kraus)
61. CVJ CS8 (Baskingshark)
62. ddHiFi Janus1 (E2020A) (Jürgen Kraus)
63. ddHiFi Janus2 (E2020B) (Jürgen Kraus)
64. Drop Grell TWS1X (Darin Hawbaker)
65. Drop + JVC HA-FDX1* (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
66. Drop + JVC HA FDX1* (2) (Loomis Johnson)
67. Dunu DM-380 (Jürgen Kraus)
68. Dunu DM-480 (Baskingshark)
69. Dunu Falcon Pro (Alberto Pittaluga)
70. Dunu Luna (1) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
71. Dunu Luna (2) (Baskinghark)
72. Dunu Studio SA6* (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
73. Dunu Zen* (1) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
74. Dunu Zen* (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
75. DZAT DR-25 (Jürgen Kraus)
76. Earstudio HE100 (Jürgen Kraus)
77. Earsonics ONYX (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
78. Einsear T2 (Loomis Johnson)
79. Elevoc Clear (Loomis Johnson)
80. Etymotic E2XR (Loomis Johnson)
81. EZAudio D4 (Jürgen Kraus)
82. FAAEAL Datura Pro (Baskingshark)
83. FIIL CC2 (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
84. FIIL T1XS TWS (Loomis Johnson)
85. FiiO FA1 (Loomis Johnson)
86. FiiO FD1 (Jürgen Kraus)
87. FiiO FH1s (Jürgen Kraus)
88. Final Audio A3000* (Alberto Pittaluga)
89. Final Audio E3000* (Baskingshark)
90. Final Audio E-Series Roundup (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
91. Geek Wold GK10 (1) (Baskingshark)
92. Geek Wold GK10 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
93. Gravastar Sirius Pro TWS (Alberto Pittaluga)
94. Hidizs MM2 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
95. Hidizs MM2 (2) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
96. Hidizs MS1 Rainbow (1) (Durwood)
97. Hidizs MS1 Rainbow (2) (Loomis Johnson)
98. Hifi Walker A1 (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
99. Hill Audio Altair • RA (Jürgen Kraus)
100. Hill Audio S8 (Jürgen Kraus)
101. Hisenior B5 (Loomis Johnson)
102. HZ Sound Heart Mirror (1) (Baskingshark)
103. HZ Sound Heart Mirror (2) (KopiOkaya)
104. iBasso IT00 (Baskingshark)
105. iBasso IT00/Tin Hifi T2 Plus/Moondrop Starfield comparison (Durwood)
106. iBasso IT04 (Alberto Pittaluga)
107. iBasso IT07 (Alberto Pittaluga)
108. Ikko OH1 (Jürgen Kraus)
109. Ikko OH1S (1) (Alberto Pittaluga)
110. Ikko OH1S (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
111. Ikko OH10* (1) (Alberto Pittaluga)
112. Ikko OH10* (2) Jürgen Kraus
113. IKKO OH2 (Jürgen Kraus)
114. Intime Sora 2 (Alberto Pittaluga)
115. ISN Audio Rambo (Jürgen Kraus)
116. KBEAR Aurora (1) (Baskingshark)
117. KBEAR Aurora (2) (Durwood)
118. KBEAR Aurora (3) (Loomis Johnson)
119. KBEAR Believe (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
120. KBEAR Believe (2) (Baskingshark)
121. KBEAR Believe (3) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
122. KBEAR Believe (4) (Loomis Johnson)
123. KBEAR Diamond in Japanese (Jürgen Kraus)
124. KBEAR Diamond (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
125. KBEAR Diamond (2) (Loomis Johnson)
126. KBEAR Diamond (3) (Christophe Branchereau)
127. KBEAR Diamond modding (Biodegraded)
128. KBEAR hi7 (Jürgen Kraus)
129. KBEAR KB04 (1) (Loomis Johnson)
130. KBEAR KB04 (2) (Baskingshark)
131. KBEAR KB04 (3) (Jürgen Kraus)
132. KBEAR KS1 (Baskingshark)
133. KBEAR KS2 (1) Jürgen Kraus)
134. KBEAR KS2 (2) (Baskingshark)
135. KBEAR KS2 (3 (Loomis Johnson)
136. KBEAR Neon (1) (Baskingshark)
137. KBEAR Neon (2) (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
138. KBEAR Lark (Jürgen Kraus)
139. KBEAR Robin (Baskingshark)
140. KBEAR TRI I3 Pro (Jürgen Kraus)
141. KBEAR TRI Starsea (1) (Kopiokaya)
142. KBEAR TRI Starsea (2) (Baskingshark)
143. Kinboofi MK4 (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
144. Kinera BD005 Pro (Baskingshark)
145. Klipsch T5 II TWS Sport (Loomis Johnson)
146. Knowledge Zenith ASF (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
147. Knowledge Zenith ASX (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
148. Knowledge Zenith ASX (2) (Loomis Johnson)
149. Knowledge Zenith ED16 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
150. Knowledge Zenith ED16 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
151. Knowledge Zenith EDX (Jürgen Kraus)
152. Knowledge Zenith ZEX (1) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
153. Knowledge Zenith ZEX (2) (Durwood)
154. Knowledge Zenith ZEX (3) (Alberto Pittaluga)
155. Knowledge Zenith ZSN (Loomis Johnson)
156. Knowledge Zenith ZSN Pro (Slater)
157. Knowledge Zenith ZSN Pro X (Jürgen Kraus)
158. Knowledge Zenith ZS4 (Loomis Johnson)
159. Knowledge Zenith ZS7 (Loomis Johnson)
160. Knowledge Zenith ZS10 (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
161. Knowledge Zenith ZS10 Pro (Loomis Johnson)
162. Knowledge Zenith ZSX Terminator (Loomis Johnson)
163. K’s Earphone Bell-LBs (Alberto Pittaluga)
164. K’s Earphone K300 (Alberto Pittaluga)
165. LETSHUOER EJ07M (Jürgen Kraus)
166. LETSHUOER S12 vs. 7Hz Timeless (Jürgen Kraus)
167. Lker i8 (Jürgen Kraus)
168. Lypertek Tevi L3 Powerplay (Loomis Johnson)
169. LZ A2 (Jürgen Kraus)
170. LZ A7 (Baskinghark)
171. MEE Audio Pinnacle P2 (Loomis Johnson)
172. Meze 12 Classics V2 (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
173. Meze RAI Penta (Kazi Mahbbub Mutakabbir)
174. Meze RAI Solo (Jürgen Kraus)
175. Mifo S TWS (Loomis Johnson
176. Moondrop Aria (1) Jürgen Kraus)
177. Moondrop Aria (2) Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
178. Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk (1) Jürgen Kraus)
179. Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk (2) Biodegraded
180. Moondrop CHU (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
181. Moondrop Crescent (Jürgen Kraus)
182. Moondrop Illumination (Jürgen Kraus)
183. Moondrop Kanas Pro (1) Biodegraded
184. Moondrop Kanas Pro (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
185. Moondrop Kanas Pro (3) Loomis Johnson
186. Moondrop KATO (Jürgen Kraus)
187. Moondrop Quarks (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
188. Moondrop Spaceship (Jürgen Kraus)
189. Moondrop SSP (Jürgen Kraus)
190. Moondrop SSR (1) Jürgen Kraus
191. Moondrop SSR (2) (Baskingshark)
192. Moondrop Starfield (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
193. Moondrop Starfield (2) Loomis Johnson
194. Naenka LITE Pro TWS (Loomis Johnson)
195. NF Audio NM (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
196. NF Audio NM2+ (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
197. NF Audio NM2+ (2) Loomis Johnson
198. NiceHCK Bro (Jürgen Kraus)
199. NiceHCK DB1 (Jürgen Kraus)
200. NiceHCK DB3 (Jürgen Kraus)
201. NiceHCK DT600 (Jürgen Kraus)
202. NiceHCK EB2 (Jürgen Kraus)
203. NiceHCK EB2S (Jürgen Kraus)
204. NiceHCK EBX21 (Baskingshark)
205. NiceHCK EP10 (Jürgen Kraus)
206. NiceHCK EP35 (Jürgen Kraus)
207. NiceHCK Lofty (Jürgen Kraus)
208. NiceHCK HK6 (Loomis Johnson)
209. NiceHCK M5 (Jürgen Kraus)
210. NiceHCK M6 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
211. NiceHCK M6 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
212. NiceHCK N3 (Loomis Johnson, Jürgen Kraus)
213. NiceHCK NX7 (1) (Loomis Johnson)
214. NiceHCK NX7 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
215. NiceHCK NX7 Pro (Jürgen Kraus)
216. NiceHCK NX7 Mk3 (1) (Loomis Johnson)
217. NiceHCK NX7 Mk3 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
218. NiceHCK P3 (Jürgen Kraus)
219. NiceHCK X49 (Jürgen Kraus)
220. Oriveti OH500 (Alberta Pittaluga)
221. Paiaudio DR2 (Jürgen Kraus)
222. PHB EM-023 (Jürgen Kraus)
223. Pioneer CH3 (Jürgen Kraus)
224. Queen of Audio Pink Lady (Jürgen Kraus)
225. Reecho Insects Awaken (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
226. RHA CL2 (Alberto Pittaluga)
227. Rose Mojito (Alberto Pittaluga)
228. Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus (Loomis Johnson)
229. SeeAudio Bravery (1) (Loomis Johnson)
230. SeeAudio Bravery (2) (Baskingshark)
231. Semkarch CNT1 (Loomis Johnson)
232. Senfer DT6 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
233. Senfer DT6 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
234. Senfer UEs/NiceHCK Bro (Loomis Johnson, Jürgen Kraus)
235. Sennheiser CX 400BT (Loomis Johnson)
236. Sennheiser IE 40/400/500 PRO compared (Jürgen Kraus)
237. Sennheiser IE 40 PRO (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
238. Sennheiser IE 400 PRO (Jürgen Kraus)
239. Sennheiser IE 500 PRO (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
240. Sennheiser IE 300 (Jürgen Kraus)
241. Shanling ME80 (Jürgen Kraus)
242. Shuoer Tape (Loomis Johnson)
243. Shozy Form 1.1 (Biodegraded)
244. Shozy Form 1.1 vs. Form 1.4 (Jürgen Kraus)
245. Shozy Form 1.4* (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
246. Shozy Form 1.4* (2) (Durwood)
247. Shozy Form 1.4* (3) (Loomis Johnson)
248. Shozy Rouge (1) (Loomis Johnson)
249. Shozy Rouge (2) (Durwood))
250. Shozy Rouge (3 (Jürgen Kraus)
251. Simgot EM2 (Jürgen Kraus)
252. Simgot EM2 (Loomis Johnson)
253. Smabat M0 (Durwood)
254. Smabat M2 Pro (1) (Baskingshark)
255. Smabat M2 Pro (M2) (Jürgen Kraus)
256. Smabat Proto 1.0 (Alberto Pittaluga)
257. Smabat ST-10 (Jürgen Kraus)
258. Smabat X1 (1) (Baskingshark)
259. Smabat X1 (2 (Jürgen Kraus)
260. Sony MH755 (Jürgen Kraus)
261. Sony IER-ZR (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
262. Sony WX-1000XM3 (Loomis Johnson)
263. SoundPEATS H1 (Loomis Johnson)
264. Status Audio Between Pro TWS (Loomis Johnson)
265. SuperEQ Q2 Pro ANC TWS (Loomis Johnson)
266. Tanchjim Blues (Jürgen Kraus)
267. Tanchjim Cora (Jürgen Kraus)
268. Tanchjim Darling (Aberto Pittaluga)
269. Tanchjim Ola (Loomis Johnson)
270. Tanchjim Oxygen* (Alberto Pittaluga)
271. Tanchjim Tanya (1) (Baskingshark)
272. Tanchjim Tanya (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)
273. Tansio Mirai TSMR-6 (Alberto Pittaluga)
274. Tennmak Dulcimer (Loomis Johnson)
275. Tforce Yuan Li (1) (Durwood)
276. Tforce Yuan Li (2) (Loomis Johnson)
277. Tinaudio T1 (Jürgen Kraus)
278. Tinaudio T2 (Jürgen Kraus)
279. Tin Hifi T2 EVO (Jürgen Kraus)
280. Tin Hifi T2 Plus (1) Jürgen Kraus
281. Tin Hifi T2 Plus (2) (Loomis Johnson)
282. Tin Hifi T4 (1) (Durwood)
283. Tin Hifi T4 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
284. Tin Hifi T4 (3) (Jürgen Kraus)
285. Tin Hifi T5 (Alberto Pittaluga)
286. Tinker TK300 (Baskingshark)
287. ToneKing Nine Tail (Loomis Johnson)
288. Triaudio I3 (1) (Baskingshark)
289. Triaudio I3 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
290. Triaudio I3 Modding (KopiOkaya)
291. Triaudio I4 (1) (KopiOkaya)
292. Triaudio I4 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
293. Triaudio Meteor (KopiOkaya)
294. Tripowin X HBB Olina (KopiOkaya)
295. Tripowin Leá (Jürgen Kraus)
296. TRN BA5 (1) (Durwood)
297. TRN BA5 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
298. TRN BA5 (3) (Loomis Johnson)
299. TRN BA8 (1) (Baskingshark)
300. TRN BA8 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
301. TRN-STM (1) (Loomis Johnson)
302. TRN-STM (2) (Baskingshark)
303. TRN-STM (3) (Durwood)
304. TRN T300 (1) (Baskingshark)
305. TRN T300 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
306. TRN T300 (3) (Alberto Pittaluga)
307. TRN V80 (Jürgen Kraus)
308. TRN V90 (1) (Durwood)
309. TRN V90 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
310. TRN V90S (1) (Baskingshark)
311. TRN V90S (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
312. TRN VX (1) (Loomis Johnson)
313. TRN VX (2) (Baskingshark)
314. TRN VX (3) (Jürgen Kraus)
315. TRN-VX modding (KopiOkaya)
316. Tronsmart Apollo (Baskingshark)
317. Tronsmart Apollo Bold TWS ANC (Baskingshark)
318. Unique Melody 3DT (Jürgen Kraus)
319. Urbanfun YBF-ISS014 (Baskingshark)
320. Venture Electronics BIE Pro (Jürgen Kraus)
321. Venture Electronics Bonus IE (Jürgen Kraus)
322. Venture Electronics Monk Go (Jürgen Kraus)
323. Vision Ears Elysium* and VE8 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
324. Vision Ears Elysium* and VE8 (2) (Biodegraded)
325. Whizzer BS1 (Jürgen Kraus)
326. Whizzer Kylin HE01 (1) Jürgen Kraus)
327. Whizzer Kylin HE01 (2) (Baskingshark)
328. Whizzer Kylin HE03AL (Jürgen Kraus)
329. Whizzer Kylin HE03D (1) (Durwood)
330. Whizzer Kylin HE03D (2) (Loomis Johnson)
331. Yinyoo BK2 (Baskingshark)
332. Yinyoo D2B4 v2 (1) (Biodegraded)
333. Yinyoo D2B4 v2 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
334. Yinyoo V2 (Jürgen Kraus)

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Raw Frequency Responses: Jürgen and Biodegraded (2 cm Tube Coupler; 1.5 cm Insertion Depth) 

Note: Biodegraded and Jürgen use the same rig and coupler [our measurement setup]. No correction is applied. The raw database is internally consistent and can be used for earphone comparisons.

1. Anew X-One (3 modules)
2. Acoustyx R-220
3. AME Custom Argent Hybrid Electrostatic
4. Alpex HSE-A2000
5. Alpex HSE-A2000 (modded and measured by Biodegraded)
6. B&W C5 S2
7. Beyerdynamic Byron
8. Blitzwolf BW ES1 (modded)
9. Blon BL-03
10. Boarseman CX98 (modded)
11. Boarseman KR25D
12. BQEYZ KC2
13. Brainwavz Delta
14. Brainwavz Koel 1st pair (JK) | 1st pair (Bio) | 2nd pair (JK) 
15. Brainwavz B100
16. Brainwavz B200 v1
17. Brainwavz B400  1st pair | 2nd pair | 3rd pair (all by Biodegraded)
18. Cambridge Audio SE1
19. Cozoy Hera C103
20. Drop + JVC HA-FXD1
21. Dunu DM-380
22. DZAT DR-25
23. Earstudio HE100
24. Einsear T2
25. EZAudio D4
26. Fidue A65 1st pair | 2nd pair
27. Fidue A66
28. FiiO FD1
29. FiiO FH1s
30. Final Audio E1000
31. Focal Spark
32. Focal Sphear
33. Fostex TE-02
34. Hifiman RE-400
35. Hifiman RE-400 (measured by Biodegraded)
36. HifiWalker A1 (ootb; measured by Biodegraded)
37. HifiWalker A1 (modded)
38. HifiWalker A1 (modded, measured on two different rigs)
39. Hill Audio Altair • RA narrow-bore |wide-bore | comparison
40. Hill Audio S8 (default filters)
41. Hill Audio S8 (all included filters)
42. iBasso IT01 v1 ootb |  screens removed
43. iBasso IT01 v2
44. iBasso IT01 v1 and v2
45. Ikko OH1
46. JVC HA-FM103M-B
47. KBEAR Believe
48. KBEAR Diamond
49. KBEAR hi7 (Biodegraded)
50. KBEAR hi7 (Jürgen Kraus)
51. KBEAR KS2
52. KBEAR TRI I3
53. Kinboofi MK4
54. Knowledge Zenith ASX
55. Knowledge Zenith AS10
56. Knowledge Zenith ATR (measured by Biodegraded)
57. Knowledge Zenith EDR2 (different filters: silver metal and red textile)
58. Knowledge Zenith ED3 (as is and modded)
59. Knowledge Zenith ED3M
60. Knowledge Zenith ED4 (as is and modded)
61. Knowledge Zenith EDX
62. Knowledge Zenith ZS4
63. Knowledge Zenith ZS5 (measured by Biodegraded)
64. Knowledge Zenith ZS6
65. Knowledge Zenith ZSN
66. Knowledge Zenith ZSN Pro X
67. Knowledge Zenith ZSR (measured by Biodegraded)
68. Knowledge Zenith ZS10 (measured by Biodegraded)
69. Koss KSC75 [stock/Yaxi pads] (measured by Biodegraded)
70. LG Quadbeat 3
71. Lker i8 (as is and modded)
72. Moondrop Crescent
73. Moondrop Kanas Pro
74. Moondrop Kanas Pro (measured by Biodegraded)
75. Moondrop Starfield
76. NAD HP20
77. NiceHCK Bro
78. NiceHCK DB3 (measured by Biodegraded)
79. NiceHCK DT600
80. NiceHCK EB3
81. NiceHCK EP10
82. NiceHCK EP35
83. NiceHCK M6 (default filters)
84. NiceHCK M6 (default filters; 5 different cables)
85. NiceHCK M6 (all included filters)
86. NiceHCK M6 (3rd-party “aired” filters)
87. NiceHCK M6 (default filters and third party filters)
88. NiceHCK NX7
89. NiceHCK NX7 (ootb and after 70 hrs playtime)
90. NiceHCK NX7 MK3
91. NiceHCK NX7 PRO
92. NiceHCK N3
93. NiceHCK P3
94. NiceHCK X49
95. NF Audio NM2+
96. Paiaudio DR2
97. PHB EM-023
98. Philips SHE7055WT
99. Philips TX2
100. Pioneer CH3
101. Pioneer CH3 (modded)
102. Pioneer CH3 (ootb and modded)
103. Remax RM720i
104. Remax RM 720i (ootb and modded)
105. Senfer DT6
106. Senfer UEs
107. Sennheiser IE 40 PRO
108. Sennheiser IE 400 PRO
109. Sennheiser IE 500 PRO
110. Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear
111. Shozy Form 1.1
112. Shozy Form 1.4
113. Shozy Rouge
114. Simgot EM2 narrow-bores | wide-bores | both tips
115. Sony MH1C
116. Sony MH755
117. Sony XBA-C10W
118. Soundmagic E10C
119. Tanchjim Blues
120. Tanchjim Cora
121. Tennmak Dulcimer
122. Tinaudio T1
123. Tinaudio T2
124. Tinaudio T2 (taped front vents)
125. Tin Hifi T2 Plus
126. Tin Hifi T4
127. TRN BA5
128. TRN-STM
129. TRN V80 (measured by Biodegraded)
130. TRN V90
131. TRN V90s
132. Ultimate Ears 900s (measured by Biodegraded)
133. Xiaomi Piston 3
134. Venture Electronics Bonus Edition IE
135. VJJB K4S
136. Yinyoo D2B4 (pre-mid March 2019 tuning)
137. Yinyoo D2B4 (mid-March 2019 tuning) | FR vs. output impedance (measurements by Biodegraded)
138. Yinyoo V2
139. Zero Audio Carbo Tenore

Corrected Frequency Responses: Jürgen and Biodegraded (2 cm Tube Coupler; 1.5 cm Insertion Depth) 

Note: In this series, each raw measurement is adjusted by an empirical correction that attempts to emulate measurements from an imitation B&K IEC60318-4 system as used in the Crinacle database. This corrected database is internally NOT CONSISTENT. The degree and position of the inconsistencies are NOT PREDICTABLE . The correction is work in progress and needs improvement to increase the user’s confidence level. Right now, these corrected graphs are only useful as a qualitative/semi-quantitative approach for characterizing an earphone in a review.

1. Anew X-One (3 modules)
2. Beyerdynamic Soul Byrd
3. Blon BL-03
4. Cozoy Hera C103
5. Earstudio HE100
6. FiiO FD1
7. JVC HA-FDX1
8. KBEAR Believe
9. KBEAR Diamond
10. KBEAR KS2
11. KBEAR TRI I3
12. Knowledge Zenith ASX
13. Knowledge Zenith EDX
14. Knowledge Zenith ZSN Pro X
15. Earstudio HE100
16. Moondrop Illumination
17. Moondrop Spaceship
18. Moondrop SSP
19. Moondrop SSR
20. Moondrop Starfield
21. NiceHCK NX7 MK3
22. NiceHCK NX7 PRO
23. NiceHCK X49
24. NM Audio NF2+
25. Queen of Audio Pink Lady
26. Sennheiser IE40 PRO
27. Sennheiser IE400 PRO
28. Sennheiser IE500 PRO
29. Shozy Form 1.1
30. Shozy Form 1.4
31. Shozy Rouge
32. Sony MH755
33. Tanchjim Blues
34. Tin Hifi T2 Plus
35. Tin Hifi T4
36. TRN-STM
37. TRN-VX
38. TRN V90s
39. Venture Electronics Bonus Edition IE
40. Whizzer Kylin HE01

Raw Frequency Responses: Durwood (2.5 cm Tube Coupler; 2 cm Insertion Depth)

1. BCD X10
2. BQEYZ Spring 1 (small reference tips)
3. BQEYZ Spring 1 (reference tips)
4. BQEYZ Spring 2
5. Cat Ear Mia
6. CCA CA10 Pro
7. CCA CA16
8. Hidizs MS1 Rainbow
9. KBEAR Diamond
10. Shozy Form 1.4
11. Shozy Rouge
12. Tin Hifi T4
13. TRN BA5
14. TRN STM
15. TRN V9 (small silicone stock tips)
16. TRN V90 (stock tips)

IEC711 Coupler: KopiOkaya

1. Audiosense DT200
2. Blon BL-01
3. Blon BL-03
4. Blon BL-05
5. Blon BL-05s
6. Etymotic ER2XR
7. Etymotic ER4XR
8. FiiO FD1
9. JVC HA-FDX1
10. KBEAR Believe
11. KBEAR Believe vs. Dunu Luna vs. Final Audio A8000
12. KBEAR Diamond (Beta)
13. KBEAR KS2
14. KBEAR hi7
15. KBEAR KB04
16. KBEAR Lark
17. LZ A7
18. Moondrop Kanas Pro
19. Moondrop SSR
20. Sony MH1
21. Sony MH755
22. Tin Hi T2 Plus
23. TRI I3
24. TRI I4
25. TRI Starsea
26. TRN BA5
27. TRN BA8
28. TRN M10
29. TRN ST1
30. TRN V90 (three different IEC711 couplers)
31. TRN V90s
32. Unknown 2+1 prototype (2019-10-11)

You find over 300 earphone measurements in Crinacle’s database.

Headflux also offers a large database.

The post Our Raw and Corrected Frequency Response Curves appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Last updated 2019-05-10

1. Alpex HSE-A2000: Modded towards an audiophile tuning (by Biodegraded).
2. Alpex HSE-A2000: The nasty 3 kHz peak
3. Blitzwolf BW ES1: Showing the limitations of modding
4. Brainwavz B100: Correlating frequency response and sound
5. Brainwavz B200: Correlating frequency response and sound
6. Brainwavz B100/200 v1: Same low-end graph — different sound
7. Brainwavz Delta: Correlating frequency response  and sound
8. Brainwavz Delta: Removing a 6-7 kHz treble peak with micropore tape
9. Brainwavz Delta: Moving a treble peak horizontally with variation of tip openings
10. Hifiman RE-400: Shrill peak
11. iBasso IT01: Correlating frequency response and sound.
12. iBasso IT01: The effects of screen removal
13. JVC HA-FM103M-B: Removing bass in two steps
14. NiceHCK EP35: Shouty and congested midrange
15. NiceHCK M6: Difference in bass quantity by different filters while the slow decay remains
16. NiceHCK M6: Tuning sins at the low end
17. NiceHCK P3 and Tinaudio T2: Adding fake resolution
18. NiceHCK DT600: The perfect graph but not the perfect sound?
19. Knowledge Zenith AS10 tuning sins
20. Knowledge Zenith EDR2: The effects of two different screens (metal, textile)
21. Knowledge Zenith ED3: Taming a 6-7 kHz sibilance peak with micropore tape
22. Knowledge Zenith ZSN: Harshness in the midrange
23. Focal Spark: How an exaggerated bass can sound good when it is fast
24. Remax RM-720i: Great graph after micropore modding, but shoddy sound remains
25. Senfer DT6: Correlating frequency response and sound
26. Simgot EM2: Narrow-bore vs. wide-bore tips
27. Soundmagic E10C: Why this cheapo sounds good
28. Tennmak Dulcimer: Visualizing disaster…membrane killed with needle
29. Tinaudio T1 and T2: Warm vs. neutral
30. The awful Chifi Chainsaw Peak (CCP) at 3 kHz (from Head-Fi)
31. Pioneer CH3: Reducing a treble peak with micropore tape 
32. Blon BL-05 Beta: Coupler resonance vs. driver resonance

The post Our Annotated Frequency Response Curves appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Updated 2019-08-01

1. Beyerdynamic Byron/Soundmagic E10C
2. Brainwavz B100/B200 v1
3. Brainwavz B100/NiceHCK EP35
4. Brainwavz B100/Soundmagic E10C
5. Brainwavz B200 v1/Soundmagic E10C
6. Fostex TE-02/NiceHCK EP35
7. HifiWalker A1 (modded)/Blitzwolf BW ES1 (modded)
8. Hill Audio S8 (default filters)/Brainwavz B200/iBasso IT01
9. iBasso IT01/NiceHCK Bro
10. Knowledge Zenith AS10/ibasso IT-01
11. Knowledge Zenith AS10/NiceHCK M6
12. Knowledge Zenith ZS5/ZS10/ZSR
13. Knowledge Zenith ZS4/ZSN
14. Moondrop Crescent and Final Audio E1000
15. Moondrop Kanas Pro/Ikko OH1/Simgot EM2: Similar FR graphs, different tonalities
16. Moondrop Kanas PRO/Crescent
17. NiceHCK Bro/Senfer UEs: same earphone
18. NiceHCK EP10/EP35
19. NiceHCK EP10/EZAudio D4
20. NiceHCK EP35/Fostex TE-02
21. NiceHCK EP35/Brainwavz B100
22. NiceHCK DT600/NiceHCK M6 (default filters)
23. NiceHCK DT600/NiceHCK M6 (3rd-party “aired” filters)
24. NiceHCK M6 (default filters)/BQEYZ KC2
25. NiceHCK M6 (default filters)/Hill Audio S8 (default filters)
26. NiceHCK M6 (default filters)/BQEYX KC2
27. NiceHCK M6 (default filters)/Brainwavz B200
28. NiceHCK M6 (default filters)/iBasso IT01
29. NiceHCK M6 (default filters)/Hill Audio S8 (default filters)
30. NiceHCK M6/Pioneer CH3: Similar frequency responses – different sound
31. NiceHCK P3/NiceHCK Bro
32. NiceHCK P3/Tinaudio T2
33. Paiaudio DR2 = Hill Audio Altair RA
34. Philips TX2 and Philips SHE7055WT
35. Pioneer CH3/Blitzwolf BW ES1 (modded)
36. Pioneer CH3/HifiWalker A1
37. Pioneer CH3/Sony MH1C
38. Senfer UEs/NiceHCK Bro
39. Sennheiser ie40 Pro/Brainwavz B200 v1
40. Sennheiser IE 40 PRO/Focal Sphear
41. Sennheiser IE PRO/iBasso IT01
42. Sennheiser IE 40 PRO/Momentum In-Ear
43. Sennheiser IE 40 PRO/IE 500 PRO
44. Sennheiser IE 500 PRO/Momentum In-Ear
45. Sony MH755 and Philips SHE7055WT
46. Tinaudio T1 and Soundmagic E10C
47. Tinaudio T1 and T2
48. Tinaudio T2/Yinyoo V2: battle of the bass preferences
49. Yinyoo V2/Tinaudio T2 (taped front vent) 
50. Zero Audio Carbo Tenore and Final Audio E1000
51. Zero Audio Carbo Tenore and Philips SHE7055WT

The post Our Comparisons Between Earphones appeared first on Audio Reviews.